Stay Human
by Shockinblue
Summary: Where there's good, there's also evil; Sakura knows she cannot choose one side over the other. Future chapters will escalate to T.
1. Chapter 1

Stay Human

Where there's good, there's also evil; Sakura knows she cannot choose one side over the other.

 **Standard disclaimer applies.**

Chapter 1

Humming a lullaby, a woman sat down on the patio chair in her backyard, content to enjoy the cool night air. Her baby, swaddled in the thickest of blankets, was cradled gently in her arms. The babe slept with her eyes closed, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Her mother glanced down at her only child before staring out into the gardens. Further out was a tiny pond that was home to some koi, and a pink willow tree with its branches reaching over the water.

The night was clear and the moon shone bright. Even if it wasn't a full moon, it was still beautiful. A new, but familiar energy signature in her yard drew her eyes back to the tree. Beneath it stood the largest white wolf she had ever seen. She eyed the red markings with a soft gasp and rose from her chair as the wolf padded over.

Standing out of touching distance the wolf looked at the woman before lowering her gaze to the child in her arms. Mebuki bowed in recognition, "Ookami-sama." In response a voice that was feminine yet not her own filtered through her mind, _"The Haruno clan's newest pup. Her star shines bright. I have come tonight to offer both a blessing and a warning."_

The woman's eyes widened in slight surprise and then alarm. To think her child's birth would warrant a visit from her clan summon's matriarch. She looked down at her child, still sleeping peacefully, with a hint of love and sadness before returning her attention to the great wolf.

The voice continued, _"The blossom shall grow and spread its roots in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, connecting strings of fate together. By bonds she overcomes barricades that otherwise are set in stone, but alone she begins to crumble. She shall grow into one that shakes the Earth, and unite those that will shake the Heavens and Seas, at a price yet to be determined for the future is forever changing."_

Mebuki bowed lower this time, trying to keep the emotions from showing on her face. "Thank you, Ookami-sama, may you be there throughout Sakura's life to guide and teach her so she may not stray from her own path, yet to be forged." The wolf dipped her head before disappearing with the wind.

Releasing a shuddering breath the woman looked down at her child. Her child was going to grow up to be a strong woman, and her mother planned to do all that was possible to support her child in the future that was to come. She retired back inside for the night and set her babe back in the crib before sliding under the covers of her own bed. Her husband stirred in his sleep and turned to face her without opening his eyes, "Did something happen dear?"

Mebuki smiled, a little exhausted, "I'll tell you all about it in the morning."

x

Pink hair was extremely hard to ignore, yet when it's on the head of a three-year old child it went easily unnoticed. And that was how Sakura found herself in the park, a block away from her house. She had managed to dress herself in a simple green dress before nabbing a snack off the counter and leaving through the garden gates. Her parents never worried when she "disappeared", not that they were negligent, but they understood that their daughter was quite intelligent and independent for a child her age.

Settling herself on the lowest swing, she rocked herself gently back and forth. She didn't generate too big of a momentum though, knowing full well how dangerous it could get and no one was here to help her at the moment. She felt the wind slide across her cheeks, the rush of being in the air.

Eventually she slowed to a stop and hopped off. Her gaze swept through the playground, bypassing the jungle gym and the slides before settling on the big tree at the edge of the park. Ambling over on her still clumsy feet, she put her hand against the oak and closed her eyes. She ran her hands down the bark and smiled like she knew a secret. Settling down in its shade, she picked up a twig and tried to draw lines in the dirt patch in the middle of the grass.

She drew a line here, a line there, and something like a cloud over them. She giggled, her tree was awesome. She leaned against the trunk and closed her eyes, content to hear all the sounds the park had to offer, allowing them to lull her to sleep.

Her father found her an hour or so later, shaking her shoulder lightly to wake her. "Child, it's time to go home, your mother is preparing lunch." She could barely open her eyes but nodded in affirmation. Kizashi lifted the girl into his arms, letting her small head fall on his shoulders. He wondered briefly what his daughter did today as he walked back to their home.

Inside, he closed the door and slipped off their shoes before entering the living area. He patted her awake and then settled her on the floor, "Go wash up." Sakura nodded again before heading off to do just that. She came back a minute later and climbed into her booster seat with a little help. "Itadakimasu," the family of three chorused before digging into the light lunch.

Mebuki watched as her daughter ate all her vegetables first, then her rice, and finally the meat. Her child was a little peculiar in the sense that she didn't like to mix her foods, unless it was supposed to be mixed, like curry. Mebuki was beginning to notice how organized her daughter was growing to be. She was also grateful that her daughter had no problem eating her veggies.

Kizashi ruffled their daughter's hair for a job well done in finishing. She was still too young to help carry the plates to the sink, so she did her best by mimicking those restaurant ladies and putting her utensils and dishes together in a neat pile for her mother.

"It's a little early, Sakura, but would you like to meditate with me?" her father asked. The girl nodded and followed her dad out into the yard. They sat down by the pond, crossing their legs. They closed their eyes simultaneously and relaxed. Her father was a priest, their shrine located on the outskirts of the village near the Hokage Mountain. But their home was further into the village for convenience sake.

Sakura loved meditating, especially with her father. She felt like she was becoming one with nature, and she felt good inside after every session. It quieted all her thoughts as a toddler and she felt she could focus better. And unbeknownst to her, it also deepened her chakra pool.

Kizashi peeked his eyes open a little later into the afternoon and watched his daughter. He was no ninja by any means, but he could sense chakra rather well and was pleased to see the progress in his daughter's chakra pool. After what Mebuki told him that morning three years ago, he was determined to help his daughter prepare as much as possible without being too obvious. _She'll probably never take up being a shrine maiden or a travelling merchant, so I can only do my best to make sure she's prepared for the path she'll inevitably choose to walk. One day, Sakura, you'll be something great. You'll do something great._

The little girl broke out of her trance when she heard her stomach rumble. Blushing lightly she followed her father back inside. Time truly flies as it was nearing sunset. Her mother motioned her over to the dinner table where she sat and opened a practice book of sorts. Sakura picked up the pencil and started tracing the dotted outlines on the paper. The booklet she was working on today was basic characters.

While she focused on that, her mother prepared dinner. They ate and she practiced her writing some more before heading upstairs for bed. Life as a three year old was tiring and it wasn't long before she fell asleep, dreaming of big dogs in the forests of her beloved village.

x

At the age of four, it was hard to describe Sakura. She could be curious and wander the streets, but be extremely shy with her neighbours. She could watch the clouds, but never wish to be high up in the trees. Being four was a confusing time for the girl. She wanted the see the world but stay in the comforts of home.

On one particular day she left the house in simple shirt and pants and walked down the street, staying close to the walls. She was still a child and her mother reminded her to not walk in the middle of the street lest she wanted to be bumped into or lost in the wave of a crowd. Her mother had given her some money and asked her to buy some eggs for dinner.

Turning the corner she looked up and spotted another child coming down the street from another turn in the road. She watched as he ran towards her end but turned last minute to hide behind a post box. Tilting her head she watched as the boy kneeled down and covered himself with a cardboard box.

Moments later two more kids appeared from the same way and ran towards her. They were both obviously older than her but probably only by a year or two. "Hey, you!" one of them shouted. This boy had his hair angled weirdly and the left side of his shirt was stained with…something. Her nose wrinkled a little, whatever it was kind of smelled.

They approached her as a pair, both obviously angry. "Have you seen a blond kid with lines of his face," the kid lifted both hands towards his face with six fingers pointing towards his nose, "like this?" Sakura blinked and then lifted her hand to point in the direction she had just come from.

One boy growled and the other smirked before they raced off again, eager to deliver some sort of punishment on the poor blond boy. She backtracked and poked her head around the corner to make sure they were out of sight before turning back to the post box. She counted to ten before approaching the cardboard box behind it. "They're gone," she said softly, just in case.

The boy lifted the box and poked his head out, glancing left and right and behind Sakura before he drew himself to his full height. Chuckling nervously, he scratched the back of his head, "Thanks! You're a lifesaver uh," he slowed his speech, not knowing her name.

"My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura," she said to him. He chuckled again, "Yeah thanks a bunch Sakura-chan! My name is Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! And one day I'm going to be Hokage'tebayo!" He held his hand out and she shook it. Amusement flittered in her eyes at the verbal tick and his ambitious dream.

Then he suddenly changed his grip to grab her wrist and started tugging her down the street from the way he came, "Come on! As thanks I'll take you to get the best food ever! It's ramen, you'll love it!" For some reason she found herself smiling and allowing this new boy to drag her through the streets. Luckily they made it with no further incidents and Naruto entered the food stall with Sakura in tow.

He hefted himself up on a stool and Sakura did the same beside him. The man behind the counter turned and smiled when he saw his best customer, "Naruto!" the man exclaimed jovially, "What a surprise, and who is this young lady?" Sakura introduced herself to the proprietor with a polite bow of her head given the fact that she was already seated.

"And what polite manners, Sakura. Naruto," the old man looked at the boy, "You should learn from her." The boy laughed sheepishly before scratching the back of his head again. "Hey old man Teuchi, can we get two miso ramen?" Naruto glanced over at his companion, "please?"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi turned back to stove, cooking up the order before serving it to the children. Sakura stared down at her bowl before picking up a pair of chopsticks and snapping them apart. She's never had ramen before. She looked over at Naruto and watched him dig in with much gusto.

She turned back to her bowl and started eating, much slower than him of course. She was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the soup and the texture of the noodles. Her parents never made ramen and never really bothered to eat it on the odd occasion that they went out. It was a great first-time experience for her. The children finished their noodles and drained the bowl of its broth pretty quickly.

Setting the bowls back on the counter, they looked up and saw Teuchi giving them a wide smile. "It's on the house kids, I've never seen someone enjoy ramen that way since Naruto." A blush dusted the young girl's face. They thanked the owner before walking out and down the main street.

Sakura guided them towards the main market where she was originally headed. The boy walked beside her. Although he was content not to say anything, the closer they got to the market, the more uncomfortable he seemed to be for some reason. And she soon found out why when they approached one vendor her mother frequented.

She looked up at the old man and asked to buy a package of eggs. The vendor looked up from his newspaper and smiled when he saw the Haruno girl but his face slowly contorted to a sneer when he spotted the boy beside her. He stood from the milk crates he was leaning on and picked up a package of eggs while maintaining the sneer.

"Haruno-chan, I'll sell you the eggs but don't be keeping company with that… that pariah you hear? Your parents would be very disappointed in you." He said while eyeing the boy. Naruto seemed to shrink behind her in response like he wanted to disappear. He reached out and clutched the hem of her shirt. Sakura watched her new friend as the man spoke and saw the way it hurt him more than a physical blow ever could.

Snapping her head back at the man she frowned and gave him the most disapproving look she could, a look she once saw her mother direct at a letter from extended family. "Bad news for the business," she had called it. She felt the anger bubbling inside her, "Takayama-san," he shifted his eyes back to the girl, "thank you for your advice, but I will not be taking it. My parents would also be disappointed. In you. I think I will buy my eggs somewhere else." His face blanched. She dipped her head briefly before grabbing Naruto's hand and leading him away.

She did not stop until she was halfway down the market. By now she was angry and huffing and she couldn't believe what that old man said about her new friend! She whirled around to face Naruto and her anger dissipated at his downcast eyes. She slapped her hands onto his shoulders and that startled him into looking at her. "Naruto! No matter what mean people like him say, I am your friend and always will be!" she stated with a fierce edge to her voice.

"B-but, you don't even know me! How could you so easily-!" he started to say, afraid of the impossible. Her brows furrowed in response, "You saw the good in me and took me to one of your favourite places! So I see the good in you, too!" Naruto's mouth hung open before he slowly closed it and nodded.

"Naruto, we're friends until we die, I promise!" and she thrust out her pinky finger and waited. Naruto looked down, all the hope and some desperation on his face. He pinched himself, just to make sure this was really happening. And yes, _ow,_ it really was happening. A smile began to bloom on his face. He eagerly locked pinkies with her and shook them, "Friends until we die, promise'tebayo!"

Being four was no longer confusing for Sakura.

x

She began to meet up with Naruto on a regular basis, usually at the nearby park. Now they could go on the jungle gym and try to beat each other to the top, or play on the seesaw. Naruto was definitely energetic and he could never really sit still. She was almost afraid he was going to hurt himself with his exuberance.

So one day she decided to pull him over to the shade of the oak trees and had him settle down beside her. She was going to teach him to meditate! And surprisingly Naruto listened to her instructions and began the process. His breathing evened out and came out in measured inhales through the nose and exhales through his mouth. He didn't rock back and forth anymore and just quietly took in as much as he could. For once, Naruto was also feeling at peace.

But that lasted all of ten minutes before he jumped up in alarm. "Oh no, oh no! Sorry Sakura-chan! I forgot I promised to meet up with Jiji!" and before she could even ask who that was he had shouted another apology as he hightailed it out of the park, "I'llseeyoutomorrow!"

And then there was one.

Sakura sighed and got up. There was no use meditating now after that. She got up and wandered around letting her thoughts wander also. Her feet eventually took her somewhere she had passed by, but never entered; the training grounds. As a child she was not allowed to enter, because it was dangerous, so she figured if she stayed just outside the perimeter of the field, she wouldn't get into any trouble.

And so she settled down behind a tree and let her thoughts wander again. A little while later her ears picked up some noise in the distance and she peeked around the tree and saw two adults at the far edge of the clearing. They wore flak jackets and long pants with bandages and pouches wrapped around their legs. _Oh, shinobi-sans!_

She knew Konoha was a shinobi village and seeing people of that profession in and around town was normal. But this was her first time seeing them, well, up close. If a whole training field between them could be considered up close. Hopefully they wouldn't notice her with a big tree and some bushes hiding her entire form. She looked on in curiosity.

The shinobi walked a little further into the field, talking animatedly, one shoving the other in the shoulder after a certain remark was made. Soon they both stood a distance apart and settled into stances, brandishing kunai. And then they danced.

Or at least it looked like a dance to the child. Their moves were elegant and flowing, turns and throws made with calculated precision. It was breathtaking. She could feel her mouth slowly dropping open at the display her untrained eyes could barely keep up with. It was so cool, so awesome!

And then one of the shinobi was thrown backwards, he skidded roughly along the floor, back flipping before the momentum brought him crashing into a tree. But instead of slamming his back into it, he landed against the trunk with his feet, crouching _against the tree trunk!_ , and using the momentum to propel himself forward towards his sparring partner.

 _That's so cool!_ She thought, and she was pretty sure that quick flash of blue when his feet hit the trunk was chakra. Amazing! Her father had begun teaching her what chakra was. Where it came from and how it could be used by various people. To think that it was capable of making people stick to trees!

She continued to watch, riveted by the movement of the shinobi. Eventually the one with the bandana won and he helped the other one up before leaving. Sakura was shaking where she stood, not with fear but excitement. Tomorrow she had to tell Naruto what she saw!

x

One summer day, when the weather was surprisingly not sweltering, Mebuki caught her daughter playing in the pond with her blond friend, Naruto. She knew the stories of mischief that began with the boy and ended with defaced property. She knew he was lonely and seeking attention. She knew who his parents were and what they had done to protect the village. She knew he had no idea about any of that because it was the highest class secret, meant to keep him safe.

She also knew he was good for Sakura, and she was good for Naruto. In the months that they had known each other, Sakura was becoming more confident in herself, and Naruto was learning everything a boy should be at his age. Prior to meeting Sakura and her family, he had clearly been neglected in health and his studies. The boy could barely write anything other than his name and a few select words - some of the better ones being "future" and "Hokage".

Sakura, stubborn like her mother, was determined to bring the boy up to her level in basic studies. She erased all her older practice books and sat down with him at the dinner table every afternoon after playing to teach him what she knew. _"If you want to be Hokage, you need to learn to read and write! You don't want any other kage to make fun of you!"_ she told him at one point. Naruto became rather serious after that and learned whatever Sakura and her parents had to offer.

Today was one such days and they taken a break to play in the pond. Mebuki looked down at the practice book and flipped through the pages, pleased with the boy's progress. She hadn't been close with Minato or Kushina when they were alive, but she was determined to keep their boy on the right path, especially if it intertwined with her daughter's. With that in mind, she stepped outside and called the children over.

Handing them a coin pouch and a list, she instructed them to buy ingredients for tonight's dinner. When she heard that Naruto's favourite food was ramen, she was quite appalled by the fact that it was probably the only thing he ever ate. Growing children needed better than that for their bodies and so Mebuki had made it a point to have Naruto join them for dinner every night. Nobody complained of course.

The children set out to the market and pointedly avoided Takayama-san's stall. Unknown to them, his business had not been faring well since that day. When Mebuki Haruno got wind of the incident, she was furious. The man starting losing some of his loyal customers and his suppliers were no longer giving him the same discounts as before. If his pride would allow it, he would have begged for forgiveness at her feet.

Truly a business woman to be feared, Mebuki Haruno nee Miyamoto led one of the biggest merchant clans in Fire country, had the ear of the daimyo, and had several successful business ventures before meeting and marrying her husband. There's some slight irony in the fact that her maiden name was Miyamoto yet her husband was the priest.

The children moved from stall to stall, purchasing each item on the list from the specified vendor with great efficiency. Sakura would ask for the item, Naruto would hand over the money, and they would split the bags between them. Most vendors were a little smarter after hearing about Takayama-san's misfortune and learned to quickly adjust their views of the boy. Plus nobody dared to take more coins than they should. The woman would know.

By the time they finished the list, Naruto was excited to get back to Sakura's house. He started running towards the market exit but made the mistake of looking back to make sure she was following. _BAM!_ Naruto collided with something and was sent sprawling over the pavement, some of his groceries scattered on the floor.

"Naruto!" he heard Sakura shout as the girl caught up. She hauled him into a sitting position and looked him over before glancing at the mess he made. In front of them, a woman with black hair was helping her son, presumably, into a sitting position and checking him over for any injuries. The raven-haired boy blinked, stunned by the impact before his face contorted in anger, "Watch where you're going!" he snapped.

Naruto looked up and frowned at the boy, it's not like I smacked into you on purpose. "Sorry," he said. He looked around and gave a shout, "Oh no! The groceries!" he quickly got up and started collecting the fallen food, "Sakura! Some of the veggies are bruised! Auntie's going to be so mad!" Frantically the boy continued to collect the scattered produce.

The other boy scowled at Naruto and Sakura saw it and scowled at the boy. "He said he was sorry," she said with a frown. The boy scowled at her and looked away. His mother shot him a disapproving look and clasped a hand over his shoulder, reprimanding him for his behaviour, "Uchiha Sasuke, I know I raised you better than this." She gave her son a pointed look before motioning to the other kids.

Sasuke pouted, "Fine," he looked up at the other two, "I accept the apology. I'm sorry I was careless enough to get hit." He didn't sound sorry at all to Sakura. His mother sighed and apologized for her youngest son's behaviour. "Sasuke, your tomatoes," she said when she realized his bag looked a little empty. The boy gasped before realizing some had fallen out of his bag. He began looking left and right before finding them burst behind the girl.

Sakura turned around and saw the reason for his distress. She hauled Naruto over to her after he finished bagging the produce and bowed towards the mother and son. "We are terribly sorry for your loss of tomatoes, Uchiha-san. We have some money left, please allow us to purchase new ones for you and your son, it's only fair."

"Oh my, it's no trouble at all dear, I would feel troubled to have a child purchase groceries for me," she looked down at Sasuke's sad face, "But as those were personally meant for my son to consume, I suppose I will overlook it just this once if you replaced his share of tomatoes." She watched as Sasuke and the girl's face lit up in eagerness.

"Thank you for accepting my offer Uchiha-san. My name is Haruno Sakura," the girl said and bowed politely again before gesturing towards her friend. "And I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!" the boy exclaimed before Sakura pushed his head down into an appropriate bow.

Mikoto laughed lightly at the children's antics before they made their way back into the market to procure tomatoes. She hung back as she watched the children walk up to the food vendor. The girl was surprisingly adapt at choosing good produce, and she looked on as Sasuke seemed to absorb the methods to choosing delicious tomatoes. It was kind of cute. She glanced over at the Naruto boy, surprised that the offspring of her best friend Kushina would look like a carbon copy of his father. The only thing he seemed to have, surprisingly, inherited from Kushina was the odd verbal tick.

She saw how Naruto was looking at her son with what was possibly jealousy and she almost laughed. Definitely adorable. _Oh how the tables have turned Kushina, I used to be so jealous of your fuinjutsu skills and now look at our sons._ The children turned away from the vendor with the new purchase in Sasuke's hands and walked back to Mikoto. They walked out of the market together and headed down the road until they had to part ways.

Mikoto looked at Sakura and Naruto, "Thank you for walking with us, but we must part ways here. You two will find your way home all right?" she asked, curious that these youngsters were wondering around without supervision. Sakura turned to her and bowed again, "Yes, Uchiha-san, we run errands for my mother often and we will not stray from the path home."

Pleased with the girl's reply she allowed the children to say their goodbyes. "See ya Uchiha-san," Naruto said before looking at her son, "duck butt." Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise before she covered her mouth, lest the laughter escape. Sasuke looked downright appalled if not entirely insulted. "You! You-!" he sputtered, unable to find his words.

Sakura sighed and made a chopping motion at the back of Naruto's head. "Be nice," she gave him a pointed look. "I apologize Sasuke-san, Uchiha-san. Like you said," she levelled a look at Naruto, "I know my mom raised you better than this." The boy winced at the mention of Mama Haruno and sunk his head in defeat. "Fine, see ya Sasuke."

 _No honorific, but better than an insulting nickname._ The girl thought before she too gave her parting words and hastily hauled Naruto away before any more potential insults could be flung around. Mikoto watched the children walk until they turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. She looked down at her youngest and motioned for him to follow as she set down the street towards their compound.

She continued to discretely catch glimpses of her son sulking all the way home, obviously unhappy about being called "duck butt". Neither of them could help it, she's tried to tame her son's hair before but to no avail. Unless he grew it out like his brother, it was going to forever stick up at odd ends in the back. _Oh I can't wait to tell Fugaku about this, Sasuke got his hair from his father after all._

x

 **Author's Corner:**

I have no idea what I'm doing, honestly... it's been years since I've written anything (anything decent, too). There will always be a soft spot in my heart for Naruto fanfiction, especially Sakura Haruno. I'm not a diehard fan to be very honest, I stopped watching the anime ages ago and gave up reading most of the manga at the end. I also feel like Sakura's parents were done justice in their appearance in the anime (movie). How do you manage to have create a daughter with near perfect chakra control, that achieves as much as she does in the main storyline, yet the parents are basically genin. In the back corner of my mind it made little sense.

So again, I have no idea what I'm doing (I rely heavily on the Naruto wikia for information). Or where this is going. Although I do have a vague outline about where I want this story to head. Certain points in the canon will remain true, but I'll diverge and twist it here and there because when you're the one in the front seat writing this thing, anything you want to happen will happen.

Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sasuke placed his bag of tomatoes on the kitchen counter before sitting by the dinner table, the frown still in place. Fugaku looked up from his mission report and raised his eyebrows at the look on his youngest's face. Usually he loved going to market with his mother and always came back in smiles.

Fugaku shifted his attention to his wife, who was unloading the rest of the groceries on the counter for tonight's dinner. Catching her attention he raised his eyebrows before nodding to their youngest child. Mikoto washed and cut one tomato into slices. She deposited the plate in front of Sasuke before moving over to her husband and kissing his cheek. "Our son has made some new friends today," as if that explained everything.

"They're not my friends!" the 4 year old shouted indignantly. Fugaku blinked, another rarity in his son's behaviour. He listened as his youngest continued arguing the points for why he wasn't friends with _a pink-haired girl and a blond-headed clown!_ He glanced back at his wife to catch her signing the names Sakura and Naruto. _Ah, Kushina and Minato's child_.

"And then, and then! He had the nerve to call me-" Sasuke abruptly ceased his ranting and settled his face in a pout, glaring at the tomato slices like it did him some personal wrong. Even more curious now, Fugaku turned to his wife as she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Duck butt."

The patriarch's eyes widened and he turned to assess the physical state of his youngest. He nodded to himself, _I can see why_. "Son, finish your snack and later, perhaps, you can ask someone to teach you how to brush your hair properly," Fugaku remarked. He watched as Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed with slight embarrassment. _If you combed your hair as often as Mikoto or Itachi did, you wouldn't have garnered such a silly nickname._

Mikoto laughed again as she disappeared into the kitchen. _Oh dear, you must have forgotten your younger days. The state of his hair cannot be fixed with simple brushing._

Sasuke munched on his tomato slices while he mulled over his father's words. _I'll definitely get back at Naruto for this!_

x

Inuzuka Tsume was a fierce woman. Alone, she held together an entire clan of humans and partnering nin-ken. Her daughter, partnered with ninken triplets, would soon take the test to graduate the academy. Tsume believed in hard work, but a little good luck wouldn't hurt.

And that was how she found herself walking up to the steps to the Ookami Shrine, her trusted companion Kuromaru following just behind her.

Once at the top she headed to the purification trough and cleaned her hands and mouth before walking before in. At the offering hall, she rang the bells, threw a few ryou into the box, bowed twice, clapped her hands twice and bowed once more before praying for her daughter's success in the genin test. _And hopefully she gets put into a good team, with good teammates, and a good instructor, and may she and the triplets not cause too much trouble as they learn and grow._

She kept her head lowered as she mulled over any other additional prayers she should thrown in there. After another minute or so she raised her head and opened her eyes, content that she included everything that should have been said. She turned around and headed towards the ema, _just in case I should write on the wooden plaque too…_

Out of the corner of her eyes, a flash of pink and darker pink caught her attention. She shifted her gaze and landed on the head priest Kizashi with his daughter by the large sacred tree. Kizashi looked up in that moment and met eyes with her. "Tsume-san!" he greeted as she came up to them. Sakura politely greeted her father's friend, "Good afternoon Inuzuka-san."

Sakura looked up at the lady dressed in shinobi uniform and then at the big dog behind her. This was her first time seeing the lady's canine companion. He (she assumed) was missing the left ear and wore an eye patch over the right eye. She tilted her head as she looked at the dog and Kuromaru stared back.

While the adults engaged in light conversation, Sakura continuing her staring match with the canine as she moved forward into his space. Coming almost nose to nose, she finally blinked before she held out her hand. "May I pet you, ninken-san?" she asked politely, a little afraid he might shun her.

Kuromaru regarded the child carefully. A young pup she was, but her scent was clean and smelled a little like her namesake. She was certainly brave, to hold eye contact with him, or foolish, so he took no slight in her actions. _It's not like she understands acts of dominance at such a young age._

He liked her, so he dipped his head and leaned into her hand. Sakura's eyes brightened as she ran her hand under his maw, eventually scratching lazy circles on the side of his neck just above his chest.

Kuromaru cursed inwardly. This child was good. _Leg, don't you dare start thumping!_ As it was, his tail was already starting a slow wag. _Tsume will never let me live this down._ _I am a seasoned nin-ken, dang it!_

Sakura was enthralled by the cause and effect of her actions. She smiled a little shyly, "May.. may I touch your ear?" Kuromaru responded by lowering his head even more, until it was on top of her shoulder. Taking that as permission, she lifted her hand and felt his lone ear. _It's so warm!_

She gently rubbed it and then scratched behind it, and Kuromaru was sure he was going to die of embarrassment if Tsume looked down at this moment. He had never allowed another human besides Tsume to pet him so fondly. Not even her own children, who were honestly kind of scared of him. Just a little.

But this child. Something about her made him cave to her will.

Kizashi, curious, looked down at Sakura and was astounded. This prompted Tsume to look down as well, and she was equally as surprised. "Tsume," Kuromaru tried to sound gruff, "I just might end up leaving you for this child." The woman let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"Why am I not surprised that your daughter has my nin-ken enthralled with a simple ear rub, Kizashi?" Kuromaru grunted, _let's not forget the neck scratch…her belly rub might be the death of me._

Kizashi chuckled, "Our associations leave us closely related in everything except blood after all." He briefly glanced up at the sacred tree as if there was somebody lying on its highest branches looking down at them.

Sakura looked up at Tsume, "Inuzuka-san…dad says that you have kennels. Would I be able to visit them one day?" Because surely there would be lots of puppies she could play with.

Tsume looked down at the girl before sharing a quick look with Kizashi. "Perhaps not the kennels, pup," Sakura looked dejected, "But you are always welcome to visit the main house. We have younger dogs, and it's a more controlled environment."

Sakura looked up at the woman in delight. Tsume didn't have the heart to tell her the girl couldn't be near puppies and newborns in case a bonding happened. Not for that fact that she wasn't an Inuzuka, but because her own clan had plans in place for her already.

If, after the fact she still wished for a nin-ken and happened to bond with one… then well, the world couldn't really say no to that.

x

Ibiki was a hard man to impress. Actually, he was just a hard man in general. If his stoicism or body structure, or plethora of scar tissue was anything to go by. But when a little blond-haired punk makes the interrogator's mouth twitch, heavens forbid it bloom into a smirk, all those in range would surely take notice.

And that is exactly what happened one afternoon when Ibiki, out on a quick grocery run after not being home for the last two weeks, caught sight of the blond terror haggling with a fruit vendor. His brows even raised a little when he realized a couple of things in that brief moment.

First, the fruit vendor (clearly civilian) was a equal parts impressed and horrified. Impressed with the tiny blond, and horrified with the adult blond. Second, the adult blond was a woman who Ibiki knew for fact was not Naruto's mother but clearly held influence in the child's life. And possibly in the vendor's life too. Third, the blond woman displayed an incredible proud air and occasionally through in a word here or there to give the boy's words more vantage.

He watched the transaction action take place when the vendor finally handed over a bag of apples for a sum that, Ibiki counted the coins, was less than the advertised price suggested it should be. Naruto walked away grinning and didn't notice the woman slipping the vendor enough coins to make up the discount given, thanking him out of earshot for his co-operation.

The blond was so busy looking at his haul that he almost bumped into the tall man. The large shoes caught his attention and then he raised his eyes as he followed the span of grey on grey until he arrived at Ibiki's face. "Sorry, sir."

"Uzumaki," Ibiki addressed the boy and nodded down at him. "It seems you have a way with words," he gave the apples a pointed look.

"Nah, I'm nothing," he leaned a little closer and lifted a hand to his face and stage whispered, "You should see Mama Haruno, she could make the whole marketplace fall to her knees if she wanted to." Then he widened his eyes as if in alarm, "Maybe even the whole Fire Country!"

Ibiki quirked an eyebrow. How did the little punk manage to form ties with the matriarch of the Haruno clan? Despite being a civilian, she had power in all the right places that could either raise or destroy Konoha's economy, outside of missions income, and he had made it a point to know all the power players.

Clearly the boy was intuitive if he could understand that much of the woman, even if he had meant it as a joke. Last he checked the boy's presence was enough to send most civilians into a darker, more piss poor attitude. But as Ibiki took a quick scan of the marketplace, he noted not a single person scowled or glared or had any negative reaction to the boy in front of him.

"And how long have you known Mrs. Haruno?" he casually asked.

"A few months. Or at least I hope it has been, and I'm not going to wake up or snap out of a genjutsu and realize it's only been a minute or something," Naruto replied.

Ibiki made an obvious show of looking around, "These mundanes' opinions of have changed. They no longer outwardly hate or fear you. Is it because of Mrs. Haruno's influence on the vendors?"

Naruto looked up wryly at the bigger man, "Why would they be scared of me when you're the one with the scarier face between the two of us? I'm just a kid." He added a one shoulder shrug.

Ibiki's eyes narrowed a little as he stared at the boy. Trusted, intuitive and deceptive and or deflective. His lips tugged a little at the corner. "Boy, you just might make a good shinobi one day," he said as he walked away.

Maybe one day he could interest the brat to try out T&I.

x

Fugaku was a stern man. He held the position of clan head and was responsible for not just his own family, but also their extended family. His shoulders held many burdens, his head heavy with constant aches. The biggest ache of all were the clan Elders. A group of the eldest Uchiha clan members, 'survivors' of the Third Great Shinobi War.

Fugaku had to add the quotations in his mind when he thought about them because although a few may have fought in the war, others had found ways to avoid the draft despite being then still capable fighters. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up the pretence of respect for a group of old bats who did nothing but bicker at clan meetings. And now was one of those times.

"Silence!" Fugaku amplified his voice around the room with a bit of chakra to his vocal chords. He resisted the urge to rub his temples. _This is getting ridiculous._

"But Fugaku! We cannot allow this to continue! We have been sequestered by the Hokage and Konoha for too long! Why should we allow ourselves to be ruled by those who clearly hate us?!" one Elder did his best to continue his argument.

Fugaku sighed and looked at the man, "We are not being sequestered, Mizuchi. Every clan has a place in Konoha and they all have their preferences that suits the needs of the clan. Fire element jutsus are a staple in our style, therefore we placed ourselves by the Naka River. Would you rather our ancestors have asked for the land that is now the Nara Forests?"

The Elder sputtered indignantly.

"I didn't think so. Just like how the last five times we have had to discuss this. I grow tired of your repetition. If it is a matter of your age and declining health, perhaps you should remove yourself from clan meetings for the time being and address such matters with a physician."

The Elder looked like crossed between throwing a fit or having a heart attack.

Another chose that moment to bring up the possibility of a coup. Fugaku shut it down before that idea could even take flight. He levelled a look on the senile bunch and laced a little killing intent in his next words.

"Esteemed Elders. Lest us not forget that you are Elders due to age and tenacity to cling to life, and Advisors because it is believed that wisdom comes with age instead of experience. Time is not stagnant. Things and people forever change. I am the current Clan Head and one day my sons will inherit the position. The viewpoints of generations differ vastly. The values of generations differ vastly,"

Fugaku stood from his seat and made his way to the door. He turned back to look at the men with their slack jaws. "If you wish to be free from the Village, from the Hokage, from it's governing, it's economy, peace and security," he paused for a brief moment, "then as Clan Head, you have my permission to renounce your ties to the Clan and the Village, to leave the walls of Home and establish your own little village in whatever country is to your choosing. I hear Lightning Country has a certain soft spot for doujutsu bloodlines."

And then he left. He was done with their pathetic excuses and snivelling. Perhaps they would invest themselves in a different and useful hobby.

Fugaku heaved another long sigh before returning to his home, leaving his burdens as Clan Head at the door.

He entered the dining room and saw his sons at the dining table. Itachi reading a novel and Sasuke doodling with purpose on a large piece of paper. His eyes met his eldest's in a question. Itachi merely shrugged his shoulders and smiled in amusement. Clearly Sasuke was up to something. Mikoto was preparing tea in the kitchen.

Fugaku walked up to boys and set his hand on the top of Sasuke's head, and gave his unruly hair a quick ruffle. "What are you working on, son?"

Sasuke was concentrating hard, his tongue stuck out a little in the corner. He put down a few more doodles before pausing to answer his father. "I'm working on a trap!" the four year old declared with enthusiasm.

His father peered down at the parchment and tried very hard to make sense of the doodles in various coloured crayon. "I see."

He ignored Itachi's snort. He felt the eye roll and ignored that too. Fugaku cast Itachi a glance, _I'd like to see you make sense of it, genius._

Itachi coughed and returned his attention to his book.

"And what is this trap for, son?"

Sasuke drew a few more boxes and arrows as a spark flashed in his eyes, "Payback! I'm gonna get back at Sunflower Head for calling me duck- duck.. ugh!" The doodles increased with a renewed determination.

Itachi's attention strayed from the book at he looked at his father again. _Duck butt_ , the man mouthed to him and Itachi buried his face in the book, heaven forbid he laughed at his little brother and earned his ire next.

Mikoto chose that moment to bring out the tea and inform Itachi of his little brother's new friends. "They're not my friends!" Their mother teased Sasuke for a few more moments before laughing lightly and settling across from her eldest. When Sasuke returned back to his parchment, Itachi looked at his mother.

Mikoto cast one more loving glance at her youngest before her gaze was drawn to her eldest's. _Sakura Haruno and Uzumaki Naruto_ , she mouthed to him before drinking from her cup. Itachi's brows raised in surprise. He was aware of who Naruto was, and had even shadowed the boy a few times at the request of the Hokage. He looked at his mother again, asking with his eyes, _will this be a problem?_

The woman laughed lightly again, and gestured for him to be at ease. _Everything's going to be okay._

"Son," Itachi turned to his father when he was addressed, "When you have time, I would like you to report to the Hokage that the Elders have been put in their place." Itachi nodded and was pleased that everything really was going to be okay.

x

Fall was approaching in Fire Country. The forests turned the most beautiful blends of reds, oranges and yellows. And on such a day, Genma Shiranui and Hayate Gekko found themselves slated for a C-class escort mission.

They had to wonder though, why two newly minted tokubetsu jounin were being assigned a C-class. Hokage-sama told them their client had paid a substantial fee to ensure the best possible protection for herself, her daughter, and their carriage as it travelled to the port city and back.

A business trip for the clients, and an easy C-class escort for the shinobi. But because of the position the client held in Fire Country, there was a possibility of danger for herself and her daughter, and it could escalate to B and possibly even A-rank. So the client had paid the fee of an A-class despite it being classed as C.

Genma and Hayate waited at the eastern gate for their clients to arrive. When they did, they were surprised that the daughter had pink hair.

The mother and daughter approached the shinobi and greeted them politely. "We will be in your care. Please take care of us." The merchant carriage being pulled by horse, behind them. Together they left through the gates; the women in the carriage and Genma in the front and Hayate in the back.

The woman made light conversation with the men, letting them know that business trips were normal and there has never been trouble of any kind during travels "except for that one time a wheel got stuck in the mud."

"My husband is a bit of a worrywart and I must admit I'm a little worried as well if my daughter's presence throughout of the trip will change things," she offered her daughter a comforting pat on the head.

Sakura knew she was not at fault for anything, as her mother had carefully explained to her last week when she invited her daughter on the trip. _Mom and Dad are just worried about my safety._

Sakura looked to her right where one of the men was walking beside the carriage. He wore a bandana over his head and had a metal needle sticking out his mouth. She wondered if it was like a giant toothpick. She kept sneaking glances, trying to chalk up the courage to talk to him.

Genma noticed the curious looks on the girl and turned to offer her a wide grin, "What's up kid?" He watched her eyes widen, surprised at being addressed by a shinobi-san and so casually at that!

"Shinobi-san-"

"Genma."

"Genma-san, why do you have a long metal toothpick in your mouth?"

Genma cast a glance at his partner at the rear of the car and could have sworn he heard something like, "why Genma what sharp teeth you have." But the coughing made it hard to tell. He turned his attention back to the little girl, "it's a senbon.

He proceeded to teach her what a senbon was and its general uses but shook his head when she asked if she could hold it. He was pleasantly surprised that her mother didn't do anything to discourage her child from asking about the shinobi ways. _Not something you see often in civilian families._

The trip to the port city was peaceful. Sakura took turnings taking her questions to Genma and Hayate and they both found talking to her to be quite refreshing and relaxing. They weren't known to be talkers but something about her big green eyes and her innocent tone made them more than willing to participate. Seeing her happy made them happy.

 _Hokage-sama knew we needed a break from the darker missions, I'm sure of it._

They arrived in the city by nightfall and stayed at a decent inn. The women had one room and the shinobi had another room beside them. Hayate was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. It didn't scream "finest luxury" but it was certainly more than what a shinobi would willingly pay for out of pocket. The men shared a look, _just who is our client?_ But at the end of the day it wasn't their business.

They convened on the main floor for dinner before taking full advantage of the outdoor baths of the inn. The steam and salts of the baths made it easier to breathe for Hayate than it had been in a while. He also noticed that he didn't cough as much afterward. Perhaps he'd even be able to sleep peacefully for a while.

Genma wouldn't mind doing escort missions for their client from now on if the accommodations were always going to be this good.

The next day, the left the inn as a group and headed towards the harbour. Haruno Mebuki had various appointments today and at a junction in the road decided to part ways with the other three. "I'll be fine on my own, just boring Haruno business meetings back to back. You wouldn't want to sit through that. Instead could I ask you two to kindly guide my daughter around the city and keep her occupied for a few hours?"

The men nodded their heads, this technically was a C-class and their client was primarily worried for the safety of her daughter. _That surname does ring a bell though._

"Excellent, I will meet up with you back at the inn around 4 o'clock. Sakura," the woman lowered herself to Sakura's height, "Be on your best behaviour now, and despite what Naruto has taught you, I hope you remember to keep out of trouble." The girl nodded quickly.

"Good," Mebuki handed her child a bag of coins. "I'm sure you'd like to buy back some souvenirs. There should be enough for that and a lunch for you three. Spend wisely."

Sakura nodded again, "Just like you taught me."

The three left after they watched Mebuki enter a building further down the street with a wave.

Genma and Hayate walked on either side of the girl, sometimes Genma would walk a little further ahead to point out a building or statue to the girl. They found their way to the local marketplace. A lot of people had their wares lined up on a tarp on the ground.  
Sakura walked slowly from seller to seller, taking in their selection of goods. Eventually her eyes caught on a bracelet of sorts. The band was made of leather, the ends meant to be tied together to be secured. Between the straps was a round piece of metal with a familiar design etched into it.

She stared at it for a good second before looking up at her companion's jackets and realization dawned on her. The seller took note of her interest in the piece, "Ah, you're looking at a friendship bracelet, child. The symbol is of a village lost long ago, Uzushiogakure, but forever remembered by their dearest ally, Konohagakure."

The old man glanced briefly at the flak jackets too before returning to the girl. "A gift for a friend perhaps," Sakura nodded, she was sure Naruto would love it. The symbol was on some of his shirts. She briefly wondered if he knew what it meant, or if he thought it was a symbol of his namesake.

She was happy to find that the trinket was inexpensive and eagerly paid and accepted the purchase. She tucked it into her bag before returning to browsing, hoping to find something for her father. She eventually found some prayer beads that she thought he might like.

She continued on until she stopped abruptly before a display of figurines. She knelt and swept her gaze across the tarp until it landed on a tiny wooden carving of a wolf. Compelled by some indescribable feeling, she picked it up to better examine it. The wolf stood tall, as if overlooking a hill, its tail in a relaxed state. She bought it without hesitation. As well as another one of a dog that regarded her of Kuromaru.

Satisfied that she had purchased what she wanted, the trio left the market and made their way to a teahouse. They ordered tea and refreshments.

"Hey Hayate-san," he turned his attention to the girl, "Are you sick? You're always coughing."

He explained that he had been coughing for a few months now. He wasn't sure if he was sick, but he knew he didn't have the signs of a cold or a fever. The cough simply refused to go away, but it did not bother him. Sakura nodded in understanding.

The group returned to the inn, and Mebuki returned shortly after, pleased with the results of the business meetings. Sakura briefly wondered if she would take her mom's place on day when she was older.

They stayed another night and checked out the next morning, eager to return home. Following the main road back, they didn't encounter any problems until they were well away from the city.

Bandits surrounded them, a clear attempt to outnumber the group of four. Mebuki was calm as she pulled her daughter close and eyed the thieves. Genma was behind her, Hayate in front of them, facing the apparent leader of the bandits.

"Don't suppose you'd lot like to walk away from that carriage now. Leave it be with the horses and we'll spare ya your lives."

Genma resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He scanned the group in his field of vision and noted they were civilian-level, and perhaps on Hayate's side were Genin at best judging by the signatures. He was almost, almost relieved to have some action.

Hayate stared at the man who spoke. "The carriage has no goods for you to pilfer, the horses are slow and cannot be bred for stock as they are male. Perhaps it would be in your group's best interest to leave." He had yet to reach for his sword, it wouldn't be necessary for this.

The thug smirked and gave a signal for a select few to attack. Genma and Hayate made quick work of them and it eventually turned into an all-out brawl when the rest of the gang joined in. The jounin almost broke a sweat, seeing as they couldn't kill the bandits (they were after all, just civilians. Ill-intended ones at that.)

One of them managed to get past Genma, using his buddies as a distraction and headed straight towards the women. Mebuki saw this and pushed Sakura behind her and waited until the thug swung his arm out with a knife before she shifted into a self-defensive maneuver and unarmed him.

She twisted the thug's arm at the shoulder and then curled it inwards toward him before knocking him down, him shouting in pain all the while. His shouts distracted the rest of his group and Genma and Hayate dealt with the stragglers quickly.

Sakura was in awe. She knew her mama was a strong woman in all senses, but to see the woman defeating a full grown man so easily, she was a little starstruck. And not to mention those shinobi-sans! She could barely follow all the action with her eyes but she was amazed.

"Now then," Mebuki looked down at the man, her knee pushing his head further back from his shoulder, causing more pain for him. "I don't see the need to call the authorities on you, so I will appreciate it kindly if you take the suggestion to run along."

"Leave us be. No harm to you, no harm to us. Deal?" She pushed his head back just a little more and the thug eagerly agreed. She removed herself from the man and stood, backing away and pushing her daughter with her. Genma and Hayate were by their side now. The thug struggled to stand and called for a retreat. The group of four watched as they men picked themselves up and their comrades before limping down to the road back to port city. Probably back to their hiding place.

The group waited a fair bit after the thugs were out of sight before they continued travelling again. Genma eventually broke the silence and asked where Mebuki learned self-defence.

Mebuki laughed lightly, recalling some of her fondest memories. "When I first met my now-husband, I was a bit of a delinquent. My strikes her sharp and he encouraged me to sharpen my mind as well. We became quite the compatible pair, as you can see," she made a gesture towards her daughter.

"At his insistence, I trained for a while at his family's dojo. It assured him some that if I was going to get into trouble, I could at least protect myself and my friends with proper techniques instead of swinging my limbs around," Mebuki chuckled again.

"I never managed to pick up the family style that used the shakujo," she explained, "as my husband's family also runs temples throughout the continent, but I am very deadly with a frying pan."

The men chuckled at that.

They arrived back in Konoha just after the sun set. Passing through the gates, the men signed in with the guards and bid their farewells to the women. Sakura walked over to them and handed them a small package each from her bag.

"It's honey lemon konpeito," she withdrew her hands and bowed politely, "Thank you for keeping us safe. I hope it helps with your cough Hayate-san!" And with that she ran back to her mother and waved at them before parting ways.

The men made their way towards the tower to report their mission successfully completed. Genma opened the packet and popped a piece of candy in his mouth while Hayate looked down at his own packet. "She's a good kid."

Meanwhile the ladies made their way back home, hand in hand. Sakura was silent for a moment, thinking about a lot of things. She eventually looked up at her mother, "Mama, I...I want to be strong like you! Can you teach me?"

"Why do you want to be strong, dear?"

"Naruto says he's gonna be Hokage one day. We're friends, I have to be strong if I want to stand by his side when he does. If he protects the Village, somebody has to protect him!"

Mebuki smiled at her child, _her path just became a little clearer._

"Very well Sakura, let's talk to your father and see if he can help you train."

Sakura beamed.

x

 **Author's Corner:**

It took me a while to write this chapter. Besides the full-time job, I was imaging scenes in my mind and trying to figure out who to plug in where. I'm, obviously, still world building at this point. I had originally intended to have Sakura meet Hinata and then use the Hyuuga Affair where Sakura by happenstance would be kidnapped along with Hinata and the events would lead her to want to become a ninja and make friends with Hinata.

Alas I realized that the wikia stated the Hyuuga Affair happened when Hinata was three, and I already started leading the first chapter with Sakura being four. So it was either delay the Hyuuga Affair and then explain away Neji and Hizashi, or make Hinata one year younger than the other rookies which wouldn't have worked out later on in the Academy days, or just drop this point altogether and do something else.

Which is where Sakura's trip with her mother comes in. I admit, when I first saw Mebuki's appearance in the anime, her hairstyle seemed very Japanese stereotype yankee to me. Probably the way her bangs were styled. She seemed like a tough woman. She did take someone out with a frying pan in a filler episode I believe. And just because she's a merchant, I didn't want her to be weak or untrained. She heads a business, she travels, the world's a dangerous place. It made sense for her to know self-defense.

As for Ibiki meeting Naruto. Well. I kind of like Ibiki and a bunch of the other minor Konoha characters that never got a lot of screen time or pages in the manga. I inserted that one on a whim, and maybe it will be of use to me in the future. You never know!

I'm also more of a reader than a writer. No lies. When I don't think about my own chapters when I should be sleeping, I'm usually reading a novel or somebody else's fanfiction that's like 40+ chapters long and like 200k words. It's motivational.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sakura as a avid learner. It wasn't limited to just books, it ranged from something as simple as nature to the more complex like life. She knew there was still so much to sense and experience beyond her little world, and she wanted to take every chance possible learning to be the best that she could be.

And so, she began training at her father's dojo.

Kizashi Haruno was the head priest of the Ookami Shrine located near the Hokage Mountain. He was also the owner of a dojo that was on the same property as the Shrine. The Haruno ancestors were shrine priests, and that line certainly continued. But somewhere along the way, offerings just wasn't enough to cover all the expenses that came with maintaining a shrine and its properties and staff.

Therefore another Haruno ancestor ventured into the world of finance and business and found he had a good grasp of how a business functioned. They began small by selling wares and eventually escalated to controlling trade after a few generations. The profit gained was used to take care of their shrines, and provide for the Clan. This set-up worked well for the clan and so it became norm that some would continue as priests, or become merchants, or marry one of either profession.

It helped that their people were slightly nomadic by nature.

Kizashi grew up watching his father training with the shakujo, and he too took up a fighting style using that weapon, and now his daughter wanted to learn as well.

Every morning since her return from the trip to port city, Sakura had been meditating at home before walking up to the shrine, making a left in the fork to head to the dojo. She jogged around the property line in a few laps before stretching out at the foot of the steps to the dojo.

Inside she stood and awaited her father's instructions.

"Sakura, before we start with the shakujo, I would like you to learn hand-to-hand styles instead. Martial arts if you will. I think these will be more beneficial in terms of self-defence, like what happened to your mother on your trip." Sakura nodded.

And so Kizashi began teaching her all that he knew about the Tiger-Crane style. He started with the basic katas. And then showed her a few more before beginning at the first form. They continued this until she had experienced most of the routine.

"Now then," Kizashi reached over a shelf and pulled out a scroll. "Every morning do the warm-ups, run halfway around the village walls, and then cool down with more stretches. Come here and practice these katas with me until I'm sure you have them all done correctly. And then I want you to do some core exercises and finish off with meditating."

Sakura inscribed the instructions in her mind. "When your physical exercises start becoming easier, slowly start pushing the limit like running three quarters around the village wall and so on." She nodded again.

"Make sure to take proper care of your mind and your body," Kizashi eyed his daughter's frame, "And maybe you can drag Naruto into this too if he wants to join. He can't exactly be strong and be Hokage without putting in the work."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. She took the scroll from her father's hand and gripped it tightly. She will learn and succeed and become strong.

Kizashi smiled at her, _Let me help you lay the stones of your chosen path child._

x

" _A good shinobi always goes in prepared_ ," Itachi once said, " _Gathering information is a necessary and crucial skill for a shinobi._ "

Sasuke took that to heart as he made his way to the park. The park he knew his enemies ( _cause they were NOT friends!_ ) frequented in the afternoons. _I'll hide behind a big tree and ob-ob.. watch! them. And ea-ea… listen! do what they say!_

"Oh hey, it's Sasuke-san-" "Ah, Duck Butt!"

Sasuke froze in horror. His plan failed!

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Naruto for the use of the not-so-nice nickname before walking around Sasuke to face the boy. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. He looked like some kicked his puppy. _Speaking of which..._

"Hey Sasuke-san," she waved her hand in his face to get his attention while Naruto rounded to her side, "We just finished our morning training and we are going to Inuzuka-san's place next to see some puppies. Want to come?"

Sasuke blinked thrice before he realized she was waiting patiently for his answer. _Puppies..._

The boy scrunched up his face, he wasn't a big fan of dogs. But puppies were cute. Like all baby animals. _I'm sure Nekobaa will forgive me..._

He nodded, "Okay," and met their eyes. Naruto tried to protest because he thought it was just going to be the two of them, but Sakura ended that pretty quickly, "Naruto how can you be the greatest Hokage and expect the village to accept you when you do not accept others yourself. You, better than anyone, should know the saying 'treat your neighbour as yourself'."

He bowed his head at her words. She was right, _I should know better than anyone what it feels like to be one the receiving end of mean actions_. Naruto reflected a bit before coming to a decision. He lifted his head and looked at Sasuke before extending his hand out.

"I'm sorry for calling you duck butt, Sasuke. It was rude of me. I'm sorry and I hope we can be friends'ttebayo."

Sasuke looked at the proffered hand and clasped it with his own before he chuckled, "What kind of word is 'dattebayo'?"

Sakura looked at the boys and rolled her eyes before smiling. Interjecting before Naruto could say anything, "It's a verbal tick of his, it comes out at random." Sasuke nodded and he walked next to the them as they made their way to the Inuzuka compound.

Sakura lead them to the biggest home, assuming it was the main house. She knocked on the door and waited. Tsume walked up to the door leisurely, surprised that there was more than one signature and scent. She opened the door and was even more surprised by her guests.

The little girl bowed politely to the adult, and so did Sasuke. Naruto mimicked the bow after a brief glance at his friends. "Hello Inuzuka-san, thank you for inviting me to your home. I did tell you in advance I was going to bring a friend, but we picked up Sasuke-san along the way. I hope you don't mind?"

Tsume swept her gaze from Sasuke on the girl's right to Naruto on her left. The woman never had a problem with the Uchiha, sometimes at Clan Council meetings Fugaku and her often agreed on the same topics despite stinking of cat. And she certainly had no problem with Naruto, given that the casualties from that day would have been more severe if not for the boy. _Pup, I'm not sure if you're trying to play mind games with me._ The innocent look at the girl's face was not making it easier for Tsume to figure out.

"Of course not," Tsume stepped aside to let them in, "It just means more play buddies for the pups." She lead them to the backyard where a couple of puppies, all different breeds and under a year old, were playing in the grass. "They're a rambunctious lot, still learning their manners."

The trio spent the afternoon playing with the puppies. Sakura learned that some dog breeds fetched, some hunted, and some could be put to a task. Sasuke learned that dogs got a lot of information by sniffing the behinds of others; that had been embarrassing. And Naruto learned that dogs understood sounds and words, but worked better with body language which suited him just fine.

They thanked Tsume for her hospitality and for letting them play with the puppies. They excused themselves and left just before sunset. The three agreed to walk Sasuke back to his Clan's compound before Sakura and Naruto returned to her house.

Sasuke suddenly remembered something, "Hey, earlier what did you mean by morning training?" Naruto perked at the question and raised his arms and laced his fingers behind his head. "Sakura invited me to train with her at her dad's dojo! We exercise and stretch before the actual lesson, but he's teaching us these cool martial art forms!"

"Your dad has a dojo?" Sasuke asked her. Sakura scratched the back of her head, a habit she picked up from Naruto, "Yeah, but he's really the head priest at the Ookami Shrine. My father's family, the ones that become priests anyways, have their own style that uses the shakujo as a weapon."

Sasuke's brows rose in surprise, "I didn't know you could fight with a staff," then his facial expression smoothed out as if in thought. They were nearing the Uchiha compound. They stopped at the gate and Sasuke looked in to see his older brother slowly approaching them.

"Hey," Sasuke turned to his new friends, "Do... do you think I could train with you guys too?"

Sakura nodded and said they would be back here tomorrow morning, early. "We start by running halfway around the village walls," she let him know before they said their goodbyes and left.

Sasuke watched them turn the corner down the street before he turned into the compound and met his brother halfway. Itachi looked down at his brother's rumpled clothes, hairs of many colours sticking out of them. He sent some chakra to his nose and took a sniff and smelled dog.

"How was your mission otouto?" Itachi reached for Sasuke's hand and held it was they walked back to their home. "I learned a lot of things," Sasuke's cheeks flushed. Interesting, Itachi thought. He waited for Sasuke to elaborate.

"We're friends now. Naruto apologized. Sakura-san's all right. She reminds me of you," the boy said as he walked. Itachi was surprised, not only did his brother make friends but the girl was similar to him?

"How so?" he asked.

"She acts like Naruto's older sister. She teaches him things like you teach me," his brother said in a manner as if it explained everything. Itachi mulled over those words carefully. _Haruno Sakura is looking out for Naruto and guiding him down the correct path, a path the boy should have been on a long time ago. Perhaps she will do the same for Sasuke, and perhaps, Sasuke can do the same for Naruto._

"She sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders," Itachi commented lightly. He looked down at Sasuke and met his gaze, "They sound like good people, good friends. Perhaps you can do the same for him. I believe Naruto has been alone since he was a baby."

Sasuke was surprised and then horrified that a boy his age grew up without a family, without anyone to care for him. He looked down at his other hand and clenched it into a fist. _Nobody should have to be alone like that._

He had made up his mind, he would be a good friend, the best friend he could be.

x

The monks of Ookami Shrine were used to the occasional eccentric visitor. They took it in stride, just like every enhancement to their training regiment. So it became a regular sight, pretty quickly, when their head priest's daughter would run up and down the steps of the Shrine. A few days after that when the blond-haired boy joined her, it was an odd sight. But they adjusted themselves to it without concern.

It was a week later when the youngest Uchiha heir joined her as well that turned the heads of the monks. Some even had the audacity to gape before remembering the roles they held.

Kizashi wasn't surprised that she managed to get the boys to do this training with her. He firmly believed that there was no such thing as coincidence; that everything happens for a reason. So he did his best to teach all that he could.

While Sakura had learned the kata for the Tiger-Crane style and started using them on a wooden practice dummy, Naruto was in the stages of learning and memorizing the same forms and Kizashi would occasionally correct the boy's stances.

The first day he met Sasuke, Kizashi had learned that the boy was already learning the Uchiha style that incorporated the Sharingan. The father nodded and asked the boy to show him the kata so he could evaluate the next step in what to teach the boy.

Sasuke demonstrated the forms he had learned up until recently before turning at attention to the man Kizashi nodded mostly to himself and came to a decision. "Sasuke-kun," he addressed the boy, "your family's style is certainly unique and I can see how it would work best with the Sharingan. But at the moment you have yet to activate it, and from my understanding of your clan doujutsu, I hope it will be a long time yet before it happens."

"Your family's style also leaves many openings, probably intentional to entice your opponents into striking so that their gazes can be more easily caught. So while you learn your family's style at home, I would like to teach you another style here." Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"It is called the Northern Forest style. Because your family specializes in fire jutsu, this style will come in handy for you outside of using the Sharingan," Kizashi explained, "the doujutsu is your greatest strength, but it can also be your greatest weakness if you rely too heavily on it."

The boy nodded again as Kizashi continued to explain, "If I remember correctly, you have an older brother right?" Sasuke nodded.

"How often does he use the Sharingan," the man asked and it made Sasuke think. He tried to recall all the times he had watched his brother practice or spar with their cousin Shisui. "Very little," as the boy's reply.

"And your brother is strong, right?" Kizashi asked to which Sasuke replied happily, "The strongest!"

Sasuke realized that he could be strong, just like his brother. _I don't have the Sharingan yet, but I'm learning something different that will make me stronger without it. Maybe even nii-san doesn't know what Sakura's dad is going to teach me._

Sasuke bowed at the waist. "Please teach me, Haruno-san!" Kizashi nodded and ruffled Sasuke's hair when he raised his head.

And so the pair settled on one side of the dojo and Kizashi taught the boy the basic forms of the Northern Forest style. Quick and powerful movements of the arms and legs. Sasuke had no trouble copying the forms had executed them with no real difficulty. Like he did with Sakura, Kizashi handed Sasuke a scroll and said he could take it home to read but should practice at the dojo where his form could be corrected if necessary.

Sasuke was excited, he was learning something different and he was sure to surprise his family when they found out. After he mastered it of course.

x

Hiruzen was a busy man. Being Hokage when he was younger kept him on his toes, but now it mostly kept him at his desk. He loathed paperwork with a lifelong passion, and was more than happy to pass it along to his chuunin assistants down the hallway. Still, some papers could only be viewed by the Hokage, like ANBU reports.

He lifted his eyes from one report and looked at his now cold cup of tea, not interested in the slightest in drinking it anymore. Sighing he called in a secretary and kindly asked for a new cup of tea to be brought it, apologizing for the frequent occurrence.

He took that moment to look at his crystal ball. He wondered how his village was faring. He looked out the windows and lamented at how peaceful and quiet it was. _A little too quiet almost._

He turned back to the crystal ball and pulled it to the middle of his desk. He thought of Naruto's chakra signature and activated the Telescope Technique. He watched as the images in the ball flickered and changed, as if trying to find the boy. It went to the park, Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's apartment, a home in the civilian sector, and even the Uchiha compound's gate. _Surprising, but no Naruto_.

Surely the boy was still in the village. The image flickered one more time and settled on the Hokage Mountain. It then moved off one side as if trying to centre on another spot on the mountain before the image died altogether. _Ah, I get it now..._

Hiruzen pulled out his pipe and drew in a breath from it before exhaling the smoke. He kept his gaze on the crystal ball, the technique still active despite the lack of image. He waited until a pair of gold eyes flashed in the ball before setting the ball back to its original spot in the corner of his table.

 _Clearly Naruto is still in the village, but why is he at Ookami Shrine, and why is the spirit shielding the boy from my view_ , Hiruzen sat in deep thought. _Because I might not be the only one try to peak._

The man nodded to himself, satisfied with the answer he came up with before returning to the report at hand.

x

Kuromaru was a dog, not a wolf. He did not take part in childrearing. But here he was, walking the streets of Konoha trying to find his master's wayward son. The boy was unpredictable on the best of days and had a tendency to wander aimlessly. _Well, can't well expect a human child to mark his path and find his own way home._

Tsume was in a Clan Council meeting and had asked Kuromaru to locate her son and bring him back in time for dinner. And like the obedient companion, he left in search for the boy. His nose led him to a different part of the village, and his ears caught the familiar voice of a young girl and two boys, "Ah, Kuromaru-san!"

He looked up as the kids walked up to him. The boys stopped some paces away while the girl walked right up to him. Sakura scratched the beast's chin and smiled at him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a little figurine of a dog and a bandana. "This is for you and Tsume-san! It was from that time I went on a trip and I forgot to bring it with me last time." She placed the items inside the pack Kuromaru had over his back.

She gave the back of his neck a good scratch too. "Tell her we said hi!" and then she walked back to her friends and waved at him before heading inside the library.

 _Looks like the pup's got her own pack now._

x

Mikoto was a patient woman and a loving mother. And very observant, thanks to her kunoichi days. She took notice when her youngest son started leaving the house every morning, earlier than he used to. She saw how he came back, his clothes damp with sweat, his bag a little heavier with reading materials.

He was also happier, smiling more. But the conversations they had never changed. She was sure her son wasn't keeping a secret from her, his own mother. Maybe he just wasn't ready to let them know.

"Sasuke-chan," she addressed him one day as he was prepared to head out again in the afternoon. Her son pulled on his sandals before turning around, "Yes, okaa-san?"

She handed her son a big bento, "Itachi tells me you've made two wonderful friends," he accepted the lunch and put it away in his bag and nodded. "You'll bring them over for lunch one day? I want to meet them, these two whom you treasure so much."

Sasuke blinked. The tone his mother used didn't sound so much like a suggestion so much as it sounded like a pleasant order. And then he flushed. "One day, okaa-san."

Mikoto nodded, satisfied for now. "I assume you will be meeting up with them in a bit, make sure to share the lunch, dear."

Sasuke nodded and thanked his mother before leaving and closing the door behind him. He was tempted to run, really, but he was an Uchiha and had more decorum than that.

Sometimes, Mikoto could be impatient and scary, too.

x

Today was Sunday and it was their day off from training. Sakura took the morning to exercise anyways and ended up going all the up the steps to the shrine instead of taking the fork to the dojo. Her steps slowed as she reached the top.

She cleaned her hands and mouth at the fountain before walking further in. Instead of going to the offering hall, she walked over to the sacred tree. She knelt at the base and pulled out a little figurine from her bag. She glanced over at the offering hall before placing the gift on the ground in front of the tree.

For some reason it felt right to put this here instead of the offering hall. She closed her eyes and said a prayer for her family, for her friends, for their health and other things she could think about. She finished and opened her eyes and looked up into the tree.

She couldn't see anything besides branches and leaves. But sometimes she felt something, like something up there was watching her, watching everyone. She had asked her father about it, and he had said he felt it too sometimes.

She backed away and bowed politely towards the tree, "Thank for you watching over us." Again, it felt right to say those words. And then she jogged down the steps that led back to the village.

x

There's a moment in every young boy's life when they experience a tingling of an unpleasant emotion, like jealousy. Today was the day, for Itachi.

He was content with life; his parents denied the Clan Elders their appeal to have him graduate early, he had recently graduated with others his age. And he was placed on a genin team with a good instructor. He enjoyed the mundane D-rank missions and the team training. It allowed him more time at home. More time to spend with his brother.

Except his baby brother, his only brother, was almost never home when Itachi was. This had been a reoccurring theme for a few months now. He knew Sasuke made new friends last year, but it's not like Sasuke literally spent all day with them.. did he?

Mikoto stepped out of the kitchen to see her eldest son frowning at the dining table. She smiled and set down a plate of onigiri in front of the boy. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze of comfort before returning to the kitchen. "You know, Sasuke has been very busy lately. He trains with Sakura and Naruto in the morning, and then they go to the library in the afternoons to study. And sometimes they even have dinner at Sakura-chan's place, or Naruto-kun's."

"Don't worry dear, Sasuke-chan hasn't forgotten about you.. he does ask where you are when he stops in after training and before the library." He felt his heart break a little. His little brother was growing independent from him faster than he thought. He almost wanted to pout.

Unsettled, Itachi ate and then left the house. He decided to locate Sasuke and see how he was doing. He quickly found his little brother and his friends inside Konoha Library. They sat at a table in the far corner of one room, desk littered with scrolls and books.

Itachi had to reason with himself. He wasn't jealous at all. He was merely concerned for his brother's welfare. Perched on a tree, he watched them through the window. It seemed like Sasuke and the girl, Sakura, were helping Naruto with his reading and writing. As a group, they were also looking through scrolls on chakra and chakra control.

He didn't bother turning on his Sharingan, the scrolls they were reading were very basic and beginner level, available to the general public. The more advanced texts would require clearance based on rank. He shifted slightly in his seat when he felt a signature flare beside him.

Shisui looked at Itachi and then at the scene in the window being turning back to his baby cousin. "Itachi, are you stalking your brother?" To which the other boy did not reply. Regardless if Itachi spoke or not, his cousin was going to draw conclusions either way.

Itachi watched Sasuke point at characters on the text in front of the blond, and patiently taught him the words.

"You're not jealous are you? That Sasuke's found his own friends to play with." Shisui asked and was surprised when Itachi's face pinched into a frown. He laughed at his younger cousin. If Itachi were a lesser person, he would snarl at Shisui like an Inuzuka.

"Aw, is big brother lonely without little Sasuke-chan?" Shisui teased as he swung an arm over Itachi's shoulders, "Don't worry cause big bro Shisui is here!" Itachi made a noncommittal noise.

"By the way, I bumped into Hana and she wanted me to let you know your team is to meet up at training ground four for a session," Shisui glanced at the sky, "about ten minutes ago." Itachi's eyes widened in alarm and he almost did growl at Shisui this time. He cast one more quick glance at his little brother, deep down happy for him, before Itachi disappeared with the flash step.

Shisui looked at the direction Itachi had left in before sticking his tongue out, "Just kidding." _Your training session doesn't start for another half hour._ He looked down at the kids through the window before leaving the scene. _Good for you Sasuke._

x

 **Author's Corner:**

Where to start? Well, let's start with Kizashi being a priest of all things. And one that can fight with a staff at that! I have a reason for this, which is a point that I will use to connect to something else in a future chapter. As for the martial arts? I won't lie, I love martial arts movies; Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, etc. Anything with a good sequence. I don't dig those historical asian dramas though where they fly through the air, that's not cool. I also really loved Avatar: The Last Airbender as a kid when it was on TV. Who wouldn't love the possibility of bending elements?

I watched the "creating the legend" videos on YouTube. And because Chinese martial arts don't really exist in a manga storyline based on Japanese culture, its history and its kabuki stories, I decided to go with the English names. Northern Forest is Northern Shaolin style (firebending) and Tiger-Crane is Hung Gar style (earth bending). A lot of fanfictions that I've read mentions that the academy teaches a standard style, but it doesn't seem like any of the Konoha 12 actually employ this style when I had to re-watch some episodes on Netflix. Obviously because of cannon-timeskip!Sakura, I thought Tiger-Crane would be a good style for her to learn at her current age. And for Sasuke's style, well, I have an idea for that, again in future chapters.

Next, I really want Sakura to be there for Naruto, to help him grow as a person. Cannon!Naruto was alone and definitely didn't grow up right. And Hiruzen did a crap job at looking after the boy, let's be honest here. I also wanted to fully incorporate Sasuke at this point and make these three a close knit moving forward. Hence why I also didn't introduce Kiba in this chapter despite giving myself two chances to do so. I just want it to be about kiddy!Team 7, ya know?

And finally as for Itachi, in the early scene, he's all for Sasuke being friends with Sakura and Naruto and encouraging his little bro to be there for Sasuke. In the last scene, I was struggling with what to write, I ran through some possibilities. Itachi will play a bigger role in their lives in the future, but let's face it, jealous big bro is something we all wanted to see. I mean, if you were best friends with a sibling and then they went off and found new friends, you'd probably feel a little jealous too. Especially when you're still a kid yourself. I also wanted to find an excuse to jump forward in time. So by the end of this chapter, Team 7 is now five years old. And you all know what that means, Academy time!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sasuke is five and he's been in the academy for a few weeks now. He's very glad that Sakura and Naruto are in the same class as him. He also notes how most of the other children in the class are also clan heirs. He knows that if they all manage to graduate at the same time, that it's going to be a big thing for the Village.

They're going to be next generation.

The only thing he dislikes however, is their teacher Mizuki. Sasuke has seen people like him before, he knows this teacher likes to play favourites. And by favourites, he means clan heirs and basically anybody who isn't Naruto or Sakura. Sakura because she's smart and Mizuki thinks she's a know-it-all and deigns to ignore her raised hand when prompting the students to answer.

Mizuki's treatment towards Naruto is much like how Sasuke has seen other civilian adults in the Village treat the blond. Except the market-place people, and most business owners in general. Sasuke thinks the bully adults are idiots anyways, but he thought Mizuki, being a shinobi, would have better... tact, like all the other shinobi.

Sasuke is aware that Sakura is also aware of Mizuki's treatment towards Naruto.

Last week they were told to prepare for a test on the history of their village. From the founding fathers, the Clans, and the Hokages up till now. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all studied together, taking special care to make sure Naruto had all the knowledge and answers pat down. His written answers to Sakura's mock-up quiz were correct and earned him full points.

Yesterday all three were very confident in getting full marks and passing the test. Yet today, as Mizuki hands the papers back, Sasuke notices that despite identical answers, Naruto's is the only one that's graded incorrectly.

Naruto clenches his paper a little harder but doesn't say anything. Sasuke glances at Sakura and can see her jaw is clenched so tightly, she might shatter her teeth. She's starting to visibly shake, with rage he assumes, and decides to step in before Sakura does something to get herself kicked out of class, or worse, school.

"Mizuki-sensei," he raises his voice and hand in the air to catch their teacher's attention as he returns to the podium in the front. The man turns to the Uchiha boy, "Yes, Uchiha-kun."

Sasuke picks up both his paper and Naruto's and faces them towards their teacher, "Sensei, Naruto and I sat on opposite sides of the room for the test, but both of our papers and Sakura's, and maybe even some other students' have the exact same answers. Yet only Naruto's paper has less than half the marks required to pass."

Mizuki raises his brow, "I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're trying to say Uchiha-kun,"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the instructor, channeling a little bit of his big brother into his next words, "Sensei, I'm not entirely sure you understanding what's going on either. You're falsify the test results of one of your students."

Sakura lifted her eyes and stared hard at their instructor, catching on to what Sasuke was saying, and chose to add in her two cents, "And that's a crime, sensei. You are altering documents to deceive Naruto to make him feel like he's not intelligent, but you're also deceiving the Hokage by submitting false score summaries for evaluation."

Sasuke nodded at her before returning his attention to the instructor, "And I'm sure lying to the Hokage is punishable in the harshest of ways." Mizuki was gulping by now, speechless because these children held the upper hand over him and his career.

"And I don't think you know this, but Naruto is dear to the Hokage," Sakura added as an afterthought, "Naruto even gets away with calling him Jiji." Mizuki felt the sweat rolling off the side of his head, and his frame tensing. _This is preposterous, there's no way the container for that beast would be-_

Sasuke slammed their papers, and his hands back on the desk, startling Mizuki. He stared head on at his teacher, eye for eye, "Regrade his paper correctly," he was so tempted to sneer, "please," he tacked on out of propriety for someone who was technically an authority figure.

Mizuki gulped and tried to regain his composure, "Fine." He walked over and yanked Naruto's paper and turned it towards himself. Pulling out a pen he scratched off the initial score on the test and wrote the full score beside it, circling it for emphasis. "Happy?"

Sakura looked at the paper and then looked at their teacher, "Make sure you change it in your record books too, Sensei." Mizuki grunted and made a show of doing just that. _These brats are more trouble than they'll ever be worth._

The lesson for the day continued and when class let out, Naruto turned to his friends, "Thanks for sticking up for me guys," his cheeks flushed. Sasuke scoffed and bumped shoulders with him, "That's what friends are for, dummy." Sakura picked up Naruto's test paper and her own, along with Sasuke's.

She looked at the boys, "We still need to report this to the Hokage, Naruto. Mizuki shouldn't be allowed to teach if he's not going to be impartial or even fair." Naruto frowned and looked down at the papers, mulling over his own thoughts. A few seconds later and he nodded, it was the right thing to do.

The trio headed towards the administrative building and headed up the Hokage's office. They kindly asked the secretary for a moment of the Hokage's time, in regards to one of their Academy instructors. The lady was a little surprised to see this particular trio of children before she nodded and had them seated. Naruto was a familiar sight and he was very grateful that the secretary happened to like him.

When they were allowed in to meet the Hokage, the children bowed (Naruto got his head pushed down by Sakura), and pleaded their case to their leader. Sarutobi pulled out his pipe at some point and hummed quietly as he inhaled and exhaled some smoke. He agreed that something needed to be done and he would handle it. Thanking the children for voicing their concerns, he had them take their leave.

It didn't come as a surprise to anyone in the class when another teacher by the name of Umino Iruka started teaching them, replacing their last instructor due to 'unexpected' circumstances.

x

Sakura hated bullies. Hated that they picked on those weaker than them. Hated the power they had over others. She was very glad to have a hand in putting their last instructor in his place. And even more happy to have reported him to the Hokage. Just because she was five didn't mean she didn't know how to deliver people their just deserts.

Right now it was lunch break in the middle of the week. It has been four months since classes started and Naruto and Sasuke had made friends with some of the other boys in the class. She couldn't blame them, Naruto made friends like flies attracted to honey, Naruto being that sweet substance that you found yourself drawn to. He pulled Sasuke along cause he knew Sasuke could use more friends too.

The three of them spent a lot of time together, and when the boys started spending very other lunch with the other boys, Sakura was kind of sad but also really relieved. She ate by herself those days, because she was still too shy to talk to other girls, but really glad she didn't have to listen to the boys bicker over her head. And it was kind of gross when food particles started flying, or spraying on her face. _Gross._

Today though, she was feeling a little brave. She looked around the yard trying to find a suitable place to eat lunch. The good spots were already occupied on the west side. So she moved her gaze to the east side and landed her sights on a big tree with lots of shade underneath. And also a gaggle of girls huddled around a smaller, hunched form.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, _bullies_ , she thought seething.

She walked over with her boxed lunch in one hand and was quick to grab the purple-haired girl's wrist, with her unoccupied hand, before it could touch the smaller hunched over girl. Sakura yanked the wrist back and pushed the person away, placing herself between the bullies and their victim.

She dropped her lunch behind her to free both hands and rested them loosely beside herself. She glared at the bigger girl as she snarled at Sakura. Sakura returned the favour and snarled right back, "Piss off!"

The purple-haired girl sneered at Sakura and changed her stance to look a little haughty, "Look at that, vermin gather together." She laughed at them and it sounded shrill and nasty. Sakura levelled a look on the other girl, "You're a bully, and bullies are only big if you let them be."

Purple Hair, or Ami as her friends called her, sneered at Sakura, "You think you're such hot stuff because Sasuke-kun hangs out with you! He's a prince and you're just a peasant who can't even protect herself let alone someone else!"

"Those are big words of a person who doesn't have all the information, of a person who's jealous," Sakura said casually. Ami let out a furious screech before lunging forward. Sakura couldn't step back or sidestep because it would hurt the girl behind her. Instead she slid into a familiar stance, shifting one foot forward and rooted herself to the ground before pushing outward, striking Ami in the belly, pushing her back until she stumbled and fell.

Her friends rushed to help her up. Ami clutched her stomach, "You'll regret this, I won't forget!" and then the gaggle of girls rushed off, probably to one of the washrooms inside the Academy. It mattered not to Sakura. She turned around and lowered herself to her knees to help the other girl. "Hey, it's all right now, they're gone. Let's get up now," Sakura eased the girl into a sitting position and leaned her against the tree. "You all right? Did they hurt you?" Sakura scanned over the girl, checking for any bruises and scrapes.

The girl blinked before her face flushed pink, "N-no, I'm okay. Thank you for helping me... you didn't have to." Sakura stared at the girl incredulously, "What are you talking about, of course I had to help! We're all human and it's not right to treat others like they're below you, it's ridiculous!"

The girl's head snapped up at Sakura's words. "U-um, right. Thank you again. My name is Hinata, Hyuuga Hinata." Sakura blinked and let it register for a second. Hinata was in the same class as her, but sat in one of the rows further back. Sakura never noticed her because she had no reason to look at the back of the class. She realized she was being rude by not saying anything and then introduced herself as well.

The girls ended up eating lunch together under the tree. She liked that Hinata was quiet, but also wanted to bring the girl out of her shell a little, and get to know her better. They ended up talking about flowers, and favourite desserts, and even books that they read. When the bell rang to signal lunch was over, the students gathered their emptied lunch boxes and starting filing for the door.

Sasuke and Naruto walked up to her and her friend as they patiently waited for the crowd to proceed. "We saw what happened," Naruto said, "with that purple haired girl and her posse. You all right? Sasuke said you could handle it and you definitely did."

Sakura nodded to the boys, "We're good. I even made a new friend," she gestured to Hinata, "Her name's Hyuuga Hinata, she's in our class." Hinata greeted the boys in a mumble before hiding behind Sakura. The boy's introduced themselves and before Naruto got too excited, Sakura held him in place with a look, "Don't crowd her, Naruto, she's really shy." The boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and nodded.

He sometimes forgot that not everyone was as energetic as him, or as calm as his other two friends. Sometimes people were at the other end of the spectrum too. He noticed Hinata's face was redder than earlier and before he could comment on it, Sakura was already sending him another look that clearly read, _don't you dare._

He was beginning to become a master and reading her face, he knew it.

Hinata was pleasantly surprised by how her day had gone from okay, to terrible, to wonderful in the span of a few hours. She managed to make new friends today with more of her classmates. She finally had person to talk to outside of Shino and Kiba. She loved her friends since they were close since they were in diapers, but there just some things she couldn't talk about with them.

At the end of the day her guard came to pick her up and escort her home. "How was your day, Hinata-sama?" Hinata looked happier than usual, so something must have happened.

"Ko-nii," Hinata started, flushing slightly at addressing her guard as so, "I made new friends today, one of them is a girl." Ko nodded, it was about time Hinata made friends with girls her age, he grimaced at the thought of her only friends being those two boys for the remainder of her life. "That's good, I'm really happy for you, Hinata-sama."

She went on to recount the events that led up to her meeting her new friends, she skipped lightly over the bullying, not wanting to worry Ko. She talked about Sakura, about Sasuke, and finally Naruto. At the mention of the last boy, she watched Ko frown. "What's wrong, Ko-nii?"

"It's nothing, Hinata-sama, I was just reminded of something," Ko shifted his face back into a smile, "It's great that you have more friends now. It sounds like Haruno-san is a great influence, do you think perhaps she could instill the same manners in Kiba-sama?"

Hinata pictures the possibility for a moment, giggling. If Sakura sparred with Kiba the way she handled Ami, she thinks Kiba could probably turn over a new leaf.

x

Naruto knows he loves too easily. Sakura once told him he had a really big heart. He loved going to school, he loved that his friends were in the same class, he loved the fun methods Iruka-sensei used, he loved all the opportunities to learn new things. He loved everything about life at the moment. But Sakura says that's what she meant when she said he had a big heart. Oh well, he'd figure that out another day.

Right now, he was absolutely loving their afternoon outdoor session. He discovered that this class was for the boys only. The girls had a separate class, the kunoichi class, back in the building. _Too bad for them_ , he thought, _they're missing out on all the cool stuff_. Like bugs, bugs were cool.

Today though, Iruka had the boys sitting in a circle with a box in the middle that had lots of metal in it. He pulled one out, and showed them that the metal rings were a puzzle of sorts. And the point was to find a way to separate the pieces. He moved two more boxes into the centre, each labelled, "Easy," "Intermediate," and "Hard." Iruka gestured for everyone to take one out of the Easy box and work on those before moving on to the harder stuff.

All the boys did as they were instructed before seating themselves and tackling the puzzles. Iruka moved from student to student as they worked on the puzzles, keeping track of their progress and offering tidbits of advice when they started to get frustrated. Naruto is still moving the rings of his puzzle around to find the correct point when he hears the faint sound of triumph from his left. He turns his head and sees that Sasuke has successfully disentangled a Easy puzzle, the rings sitting by his feet.

Naruto frowns and becomes more determined to finish his puzzle. After a few more twist and tugs he's almost ready to give up again. He looks to the left and sees that Sasuke has picked up another Easy puzzle. Naruto turns his head to the right and sees that Shikamaru is lying on his back, his eyes on the clouds, and several rings separated laid next to him. Naruto's brows shoot so far up, he might have lost them in his bangs. His mouth is agape and he's floored by his surprise.

Shikamaru, who he made friends with last year when they enrolled, the boy who always had his head in his arms on the desk sleeping, the boy who couldn't be bothered to answer any of Iruka's questions, the boy who had worse test marks than Naruto, the boy who probably always had his head in the clouds... had solved a Hard puzzle faster than anyone had noticed. Naruto thinks Shikamaru probably finished it before Sasuke finished his first Easy.

Sasuke notices that Naruto has stopped moving the rings, so he peers beyond his friend to see what the blond is looking at. Seeing the image of Shikamaru cloud gazing, the numerous rings dismantled beside him, Sasuke lets out a long sigh. Of course, he should have known. He rolls his eyes and pulls on Naruto's sleeve to return the blond's attention to his own puzzle.

"Aniki says the Nara Clan are geniuses. You shouldn't look so surprised Naruto," Sasuke chides gently. Naruto glances back at Shikamaru and then at Sasuke. Then he thinks about how Shikamaru's grades are so low, how he never answers questions in class, and then realizes that the other boy is simply lazy. So utterly devoted to being lazy, that he would sacrifice his scores to do so. This time it's Naruto's turn to roll his eyes.

He pokes Shikamaru in the side and decides it's time to put that genius to work, "Hey Shikamaru, can you teach me the trick to these?" He dangles the metal rings of his puzzle in the air. Shikamaru stares back and Naruto is pretty sure he heard something that sounded a lot like "troublesome."

Naruto is pretty sure, given how good he's gotten at reading Sakura's face, that the look on Shikamaru's is telling something along the lines of _hell no_. But Naruto is sneaky. And he knows cause Sakura knows, cause Ino (another one of Sakura's new girl friends) told her that Shikamaru would move mountains if it meant avoiding his mother's nagging. A devious grin eases itself on to Naruto's face and Shikamaru is slightly wary.

Because Shikamaru knows that Naruto and Sakura are friends, and Sakura and Ino are friends, and he and Ino have been friends since they were in diapers, and that just means having too much knowledge to the point of being "too much information." And Ino is a blabbermouth. He prepares himself for what Naruto is going to say next.

"Come on, Shikamaru, you wouldn't want your mom to find out you weren't willing to help a fellow Konoha soon-to-be shinobi, would ya? You know how Hokage-jiji touts Will of Fire and all that."

Shikamaru curses and is very tempted to slap his palm against his face. But he doesn't because that would require too much effort. So instead he weighs his options while staring at the clouds and sits up a moment later. He points to the puzzle in Naruto's hands and gives him pointers on how to disentangle the rings. A few minutes later and the blond has successfully twisted the rings apart at the small opening. He whoops with joy and slings an arm over Shikamaru's shoulders, thanking the boy for his help.

Naruto pulls the other boy towards he boxes and asks if he should try the Intermediate ones. Shikamaru scuffs and laughs at the idea, not at Naruto, "A little too early for you I think. You're better off practicing more of the Easy ones until you can get them undone without help, and then move on to the next box." Naruto nods at this, because it sounds like what Sakura would say, and that means it sounds like good advice.

Sasuke is surprised at Naruto's speed in solving the next few puzzles, once he gets the hang of it. Iruka is even more surprised that someone managed to get Shikamaru involved in an activity. And Shikamaru is the most surprised when Naruto turns to him and asks, "So what do you do for fun?"

They've got a few more minutes until the lesson is over and Naruto has a pile of undone puzzle rings around him by now and Shikamaru wonders if it would be a good idea to teach Naruto board games. He mentions it anyways and judging by the ferocious grin on the blond's face, he knows no matter how many steps ahead he plans, he's doomed to a lifelong bond with Naruto.

x

Ino loves beautiful and pretty things, like flowers. But more than that, she loves to cultivate them as buds and watch them bloom. She regrets not being the one to step in and save Hinata last year when Ami and her posse made their debut, but she mended that pretty quickly. Growing up with too many males in her life (Shika, Chouji, and their dads combined) was enough to make her grow a backbone quick and find herself some female company.

Last year, when Sakura had rescued Hinata, Ino was on the other side of the yard. She was awed by what the pink-haired girl did to put Ami in her place. The next day she had walked right up to the girl before class and congratulated her for a job well done. They had shared the same thoughts: there was no place in the Academy for bullies. And that's how their friendship began to bud and it bloomed.

Fast forward to the current moment, Ino sat with Sakura and Hinata and ate their lunches at one end of the room by the windows. They were going through notes from last week's Kunoichi class. The boys were also in the room but soon they would file out with Iruka and Suzume-sensei would walk in after lunch.

When the boys and Iruka left half an hour later and Suzume-sensei came in, the girls arranged themselves across the room in their assigned seats. Suzume-sensei was nice, Ino decided. And very knowledgable. Today she was teaching them how to pass as women of different professions and statuses in Earth Country. The girls watched as Suzume applied a basic henge on herself and changed the illusion to fit the descriptions she wrote on the board behind her.

At one point Sakura had opened the window when the room got a little warm. But Ino watched her friend take notes studiously. Then they moved on to flower arranging. Again the focus was on Earth Country, what kind of flowers they were likely to find and how some were herbs and some had poison properties.

Ino, seated in the bench behind Sakura, allowed her attention to drift a little; she already knew about most of the flowers already. She eyes drifted to the yard below the window, where the boys were practicing the Academy style taijutsu forms. Her eyes strayed and landed on Sasuke's form. She thinks that Sasuke is beautiful and pretty, so she likes him. Her face flushes slightly, _although he probably wouldn't liked to be called pretty._

Her gaze flitters quickly to the back of Sakura's head before she looks out the window again, finding Sasuke. Her brows pinch together as she thinks. She knows that Sakura is friends with Sasuke, like she is friends with Naruto. Ino thinks that Sakura doesn't have anything other than platonic feelings for the boy, just like how Ino feels about Shikamaru and Chouji. Platonic. Siblings even. Family. Ino is convinced that Sakura will not love Sasuke the way Ino wants to love Sasuke.

But she finds Sasuke's form in the crowd below and renews her thoughts. Sasuke doesn't like many girls. He doesn't like it when Ami and her crowd walk over to him at break, doesn't like how they try to talk to him. How they bother him with their goo-goo eyes and fantasy-like girly talk. Ino frowns, _I'd never be like that, never stoop so low_. If possible she would frown a little deeper because there in lies the problem, her own little dilemma.

She looks at Sakura again and the frown on her face eases. Sasuke likes Sakura, not because she's a girl, but because she is someone he knows, trusts and can depend on to have his back. Ino has decided, she is feminine, not girly, and not desperate. She is strong-willed and bull-headed just like her father. Before she can even think about liking someone, having a significant other at her side, she wants to be someone that's strong, trusted and reliable first. After all, she is going to be the number one kunoichi.

Voices drift up from the yard where the boys are practicing their katas. "Why do we have to do extra training when the girls get to stay inside where it's nice and cool, it's so unfair," Ino hears Naruto griping. She's tempted to roll her eyes. _Maybe if he didn't insist on keeping that sweater on in the middle of summer._

Then she hears a familiar grunt, "Because we need to be strong to protect Sakura when we go on missions," Sasuke responds. And in a whirl of motion before Ino's eyes, Sakura's grabs her eraser, moves to the window and chucks the little rubber square straight the back of Sasuke's head. The boy loses his balance in his current kata and trips.

Ino watches as Sakura leans out the window, arm outstretched and finger pointing accusingly at her friend, "Uchiha Sasuke!" she bellows, "I can protect myself just fine, thank you very much!" By now Suzume-sensei looks like she's forgotten about her lesson and watches Sakura too. Ino notices her friend's face is red with indignation and maybe anger.

"And last I checked, I whooped your butt in training this morning! You're gonna be watching my back when I protect your duck butt on missions, shannaro!" Sakura narrows her eyes at the boy when he opens his mouth and she levels the same look on the blond and makes a show of knocking back her arm with the pencil sharpener. Ino watches as the colour drains from the boys' faces before she turns to see the same look slowly dawn on Sakura's face. It seems her friend has finally realized she has an audience.

But not one to lose face, Sakura harrumphs before leaning away from the window and slamming it shut. She turns and bows towards Suzume-sensei, apologizing for the ruckus, despite managing to sound completely unapologetic about what she had said. Suzume-sensei accepts it with a smile and uses the spectacle to make a point in her next lesson.

"Yes, men may be physically stronger than women, but we are smart and cunning, and as kunoichi, it is our most dangerous weapon. Brains matter just as much, if not more so, than brawn," their teacher says. And returns to her earlier lecture, completely dismissing the antics of her student.

Ino loves to cultivate buds and watch them bloom into the prettiest flowers. She knows that Sakura is the one to watch out for, for her blossoming would be truly magnificent.

x

 **Author's Corner:**

This is me spinning in a hypothetical computer chair. I have no idea what I'm doing. Stuff just kept writing itself. I should technically be sleeping right now because I'm sick and took Advil. Even my cat is asleep and trying to shut out the world. Don't worry buddy, I'm gonna join you in a minute.

Anyways. Just wanted to throw in Ami for nostalgia sake. I don't really care for her, so this chapter's gonna be her only appearance. I need a reason for Hinata to be friends with Sakura, needed a reason for her to grow a backbone a little quicker. Needed a valid reason for her to pass the genin test beyond that fact that she's a Clan Heir. Girl probably would have gotten herself killed as a Genin given her abduction rate. I don't think you should be allowed to join the military by passing a simple test if you're not mentally fit as well, you know? If she never developed, could you imagine her as a career genin? Yikes. Anyways.

Ino's obligatory. I don't really know how to write her as a child, so I'm working on it. Let me channel little me with all my male cousins and I'll figure it out. I love Shikamaru too, lazy genius. I still haven't managed to throw in Kiba, Chouji, and Shino yet. I have no idea what I'm going to do about them, but I do want all of the Konoha 12 to interact and some point in their academy days. Next chapter for sure.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning** : Horrendously scripted fight scenes.

Chapter 5

There are very little things on this planet that can surprise Genma anymore. Chakra, cloning yourself, shinobi wars, teleportation, and the Kyuubi attack. He's probably seen all the world has to throw at him right now. With the Five Great Nations in a state of peace, it might be a while yet before he's surprised again. Yet those thoughts are cut abruptly when he enters his usual training ground to find it already occupied by a familiar pink-haired girl.

At the edges of the clearing, behind one of the trees, Genma stops in his tracks as he watches the little girl, a little older now, teaching herself how to tree climb with chakra. And judging by the lack of marks on the tree, she was doing pretty damn well. _Well colour me astonished._

Sakura, solely focusing on her exercise, channelled chakra to her hands and placed them carefully on the tree. The output wasn't enough to damage the tree, but was it enough to hold her weight? She lifted an arm and placed her hand higher above the tree. It stuck. And so she raised her other hand until she was dangling off the tree by her hands. Satisfied, she dropped back to the ground and channeled the same amount of chakra to her feet. Given that it was harder to keep something upright than it was to let it hang loosely, she increase the chakra just a little bit more.

She placed one foot on the tree and felt the adhesion and it's hold. So then she placed the other foot as well. She didn't feel herself falling, and she wasn't damaging the tree. Encouraged by this, she maintained the steady flow of chakra as she moved up the tree. She walked as far up as she was willing to go before settling one of the thicker branches for a break. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she looked off into the distance from the new height, happy to see some of her village in the background.

Genma let out a low whistle, impressed, as he entered the clearing. He caught the girl's eyes and nodded in greeting. "Hey there kid, seems like you've grown a lot since we last met. And not just in height," he said as he neared the tree. He stopped at the base and looked up at her, "want to jump down?" Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted balk at the idea or not. Jumping from such a height would surely hurt.

Shaking her head, she looked down and said, "Hello Genma-san! I'll be down shortly!" And then she applied the same amount of the chakra to her feet again and began her descent. When she touched the ground safely, to which she was very relieved, she returned her attention to the shinobi. Genma gazed at her curiously, he had seen her time to time at the Academy's yard, since it was attached to the Hokage Tower. "So kid, want to tell me what an Academy student like yourself is doing, teaching herself how to tree climb with chakra?"

Sakura flushed, chakra was something they had only recently covered in class. But after the lessons, her mind had flashed back to that memory of that shinobi landing on a tree straight-on with that blue flare, after being thrown at it. She shifted her feet and stared at the ground, "I was curious, and um, just wanted to experiment." Maybe if she played shy, and threw in some honesty, he wouldn't get too mad at her, after all Iruka-sensei had yet to teach them this. Most lessons were theory anyways.

Genma hummed in consideration, "Well, tree climbing is one thing, but the whole purpose of the exercise is to maintain a constant flow of chakra, and then shifting the flow when necessary. It should be so secondary that you do it subconsciously, effortlessly. It could mean life-or-death on the field after all." Sakura nodded at his words. "Once you've got the climbing bit down, you should try other modes of impact, like running and jumping, that sort of thing."

Sakura nodded again, "I think I'm going to show this to Naruto and Sasuke so they can start practicing it too!" Genma's eyes widened at the mention of Yondaime's son. He, and a few others, had served on the Yondaime's Guard Platoon. For the safety of Minato's child, Sarutobi had ordered those closest to the Yondaime to avoid interaction, lest it attract unwanted attention from the Yondaime's many enemies.

Genma rubbed his chin in thought, "Hey kid," to which Sakura replied with her name, "Right, Sakura-kun, since you're doing something outside Iruka's lesson plans, and you look a little too strong for a civilian child, I bet you train too right?" Sakura looked down at her arms and legs, covered in sleeves and knee-length shorts before nodding, "Yes, my friends train with me too, but my dad runs a dojo and he's teaching me a few styles outside the academy one."

Now Genma's interest was piqued, "How about a demonstration then?"

Sakura's eyes widened, "A-are you sure? I mean I'm still learning, and I'm not that great." Genma gave the girl a lop-sided grin, "What kind of Konoha shinobi would I be if I wasn't making sure the next generation could keep up with the rest of us? Think of it like a spar, but I'll stay on the defensive."

"Okay." The two walked further into the clearing. Maybe it truly was just his luck that his regular sparring partner couldn't make it today's session due to a change in patrol shifts. They stood a few feet apart. "Whenever you're ready, and remember, no heat behind the hits."

Genma and Sakura settled into defensive stances, neither willing to make the first move. _Smart girl, rushing head first will only get you killed in a real battle_. Sakura took the opportunity to take in her opponent's stature and stance. He was using the academy-taught defensive stance, but something about it was a little different, probably to accommodate for a side he favoured. He was also an adult, but younger than her father. Maybe, around the same age and build as some of the monks. She had to factor that change as well in the hits she anticipated from him, and the adjustments she would have to make for her moves.

"Well then, guess I'll be the one to put you in motion then," Genma ran forward and aimed a punch Sakura's face, only to have her strike her left arm out pushing his wrist down and her right fist striking towards upwards at his chin. He backed up and tried a wide roundhouse kick next, to which she blocked with her left arm and performed a double punch, one aiming for his groin the other for his gut. If she were full grown, it probably would have reached his face or throat.

"Now let's see what you can do on the offensive," Sakura backed up and ran towards him, aiming a kick to his side, he trapped the foot and leg by wrapping his arm around it and locking it against his side. Switching styles, Sakura used her trapped leg as leverage to jump up and twist herself around his shoulders, locking her free leg around his neck and falling backward behind him. If she was a little older and had more weight, this move would have brought him down for sure, but right now it was just making it hard to breathe. Genma was forced to let go of her leg and she released her hold and kicked off his back, backflipping away from him a few paces.

"Not bad," Genma rubbed his neck a little, "What else can you do?" Sakura grinned, she was sure Genma favoured his left side for some reason or another. She still had one more style up her sleeve. She dodged and stayed just of range of the next few punches and kicks he threw out at her and when she saw an opening she slid in and struck out with her firsts, her index and middle knuckles a little further out than the rest and hit certain points along his arm and side for good measure. She backed away just as his arm fell limp by his side.

"Huh," Genma stopped and stood to look at his arm, temporarily paralyzed by a lucky strike. "I think I've seen enough. Just what is your daddy teaching you?" He started rubbing slow circles along his arm, hoping to bring the feeling back a little sooner. Sakura eased out of her stance before sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "My father says I absorb everything like a sponge, so he's teaching me everything he knows and has the scrolls for."

Genma wonders just how well connected her father must be to know a little bit about the Hyuuga-style Gentle Fist, even though it wasn't exactly what he said her use just then. "I don't suppose one of those scrolls included the pressure points on the human body?" Sakura flushed and nodded, "No, but I found it in the Konoha Library in one of the anatomy texts, and I only recently started reading and memorizing it... I kind of just guessed where it might be on an adult body. I was really lucky."

Genma looks skyward. _What kind of gold mine of potential have I landed on_.

He looks back at Sakura and grins, "Well, I'm certainly impressed, how old are you anyways?" to which Sakura answers eight. "Well how about this then, Sakura-kun. You master the tree climbing exercise to where you can do it as automatically as breathing, teach your friends how to do it just as good as you. And then come find me at this training ground again, and I'll teach you water walking. How about it?"

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe what she just heard. He was offering to teach her advanced exercises. It was almost too good to be true. She nodded her head vehemently, "I'll make sure Naruto and Sasuke learn and practice really hard!" Genma patted her head and ruffled her hair for good measure. "'Atta girl," he looked up at the sky, "Oops, I've got a meeting to head to soon or I'm going to be late."

Sakura also glanced at the sky and realized just how late it had gotten, "Oh no! I still have to buy groceries for dinner!" Genma briefly remembered the child's mother, "Ah, that's right, wouldn't want your mom to greet you with that frying pan if you go home empty huh." Sakura stuck out her tongue a little childishly, "She would never!"

Sakura bid him farewell and ran off towards the village to continue her errands. Genma watched her leave. _At least now I can help Minato's kid progress without directly interfering_. He smiled again before coming to himself. _Oops, better hop to it lest I pull a Kakashi, Ibiki wouldn't like that at all._

x

It's late afternoon on autumn day when Naruto decides to set out and find some fireflies. He packs his bag with a bottle of water, some snacks, a flashlight, and a bug container. He swings the bag over his back and walks out of his apartment with a small net. He plans to surprise Sakura and Sasuke with them the next time they hang out together.

He enters the forested area and starts looking for some fireflies. Earlier today he was really excited to see the bugs on Shino's desk, but he wasn't allowed to touch them. And then Iruka caught him by surprise and he shrieked like a little girl. _How embarrassing._

Naruto wanders around and manages to catch a few in his container, but it's nearly not enough, when he suddenly hears voices to the east of him. One of them rather familiar. He walks towards the voices and is not quite surprised to see his classmate Shino collecting bugs. It's the stranger behind him that has him curious. "Hey Shino, you catching bugs too huh? What are you trying to find?"

 _Speak of the devil_ , Shino thinks. He was just explaining to his cousin how he doesn't understand the concept of having friends because everyone is so different. "Butterflies. Why? Because their wings have different patterns," he states as he places the butterflies gently into his own box.

Naruto nods, "I wonder if there's a butterfly with pink wings in Konoha or even Fire Country? I bet Sakura-chan would like to see one." Shino nods in understanding because he knows the colour the wings would match the girl's hair, eliciting a positive reaction at the similarity.

"Not that I am aware of, but perhaps in Grass Country," the third boy states. Naruto looks at him quizzically, he's never seen the taller boy at the academy before. "Ah, sorry about that. My name is Torune, you must be a friend of Shino's. We're cousins." Naruto nods and introduces himself with a slight bow, like Sakura taught him.

"But you're not here to catch butterflies, because those are fireflies in your container, Naruto," Shino observes. Naruto nods again, "Yep, I want to surprise Sakura and Sasuke next time we visit the duck butt's compound. He's got this pretty big pond with a bridge, I wanted to release them over it at night. I thought it would be a good idea."

Torune nods his head in understanding, "I am sure your friends would be very delighted to see the display. I'm sure we can help you find more somewhere around here, bugs are our clan's specialty after all."

So the three of them set to work, Shino most catching his own bugs and occasionally pointing them out to Naruto, which Torune helped Naruto locate and catch more fireflies. Soon the sun began to set, but Torune wasn't about to let their from earlier die, "Even if everyone is different to you Shino, if you spend enough time with them, aren't they considered your friends?"

Shino was tempted to sigh, "If that's the case, then judging by how much my time is taken up, I would have to consider every classmate as a friend." This time someone did sigh, and it was Torune, "That's not how it works, cousin, sometimes you over analyze and focus on the wrong detail."

Naruto piped in, "Yeah Shino! We already are friends! I mean, you're helping me look for fireflies and teaching me stuff about bugs without having to think or ask." He couldn't tell if Shino was giving him an odd look or not, the dark googles weren't helping.

Suddenly all the noises of the forest died. No sounds of wildlife could be heard. And then Naruto felt it. A sharp, suffocating darkness, yet he could see nothing tangible of the sort. It was so stifling he almost choked on the air. He looked down the trail that ran through this stretch of forest. He grabbed Shino by the sleeve and alerted the older boy up in the trees with alarm, "Guys, we gotta hide, come on!" and then he ran off with Shino and dove for the bushes, trying to make it like he wasn't there, like all those times he had to hide from his pursuers in his pranking days.

Torune followed and hid further back than the other two, noted that Naruto had managed to mute his chakra signal subconsciously. Shino seemed to have noticed too. Together, they used their bugs to help lower their own signals and waited for what Naruto had sensed but they couldn't.

Two figures headed down the path. The Aburame boys recognized one was Shino's father, Shibi. The other, they did not know. So they watched and waited. It was hard for them to tell, but their bugs could sense the unease in their Clan Head's form. Clearly Shibi really didn't want to talk to this other man, but didn't have a choice. They couldn't exactly hear everything that was being said either.

"...appropriate age... enter the foundation... your son... ANBU agents…developed..."

"…being reorganized... Clan to send us someone..."

"has... Third... approved..."

"selecting recruits... directly... jurisdiction...every Clan with... sent someone."

"But Shino..."

"exceptional... not a request... order."

Another moment and the strange man in robes and the can disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Shibi alone in the path. Shino sent his bugs out to meet his dad's before they returned and told them that no one else was in the area, the man had truly left. The kids got up from their places in the bushes and walked over the Shibi. "Dad, what was that about? Who was he?"

It wasn't normal for Shino to see his father sweating this much, over a conversation at that. Shibi breathed long and slow before facing the children. "That... was councilman Danzo. He... leads a specific division of ANBU." Torune took in this information and narrowed his eyes, not that the mask made it obvious, "What did he want with you, with Shino, Shibi-sama?"

Shibi sighed, "He is ordering the Clans to send a member to join his division. He says the Uchiha and Yamanaka have already sent theirs. He was... reminding me to make my decision soon."

Naruto snorted outright at this and caught the older man's attention, "How do you know what he says is the truth?" Shibi's eyebrows rose in surprise at the blond's words. "Sir, we are shinobi, we lie, it's our job, our living. Is it so strange to think that someone would lie to their own allies?" Shibi was stunned, what the boy said held a lot of truth. It's not as if any of this was mentioned formally at any Clan Council meeting.

"Besides, if you're Shino's dad that makes you Mama Inuzuka's genin teammate. I think her favourite saying was 'I only trust them as far as a I can throw 'em' or something like that. How much do you really know about the wrinkly geezer?" Naruto continued, his hands behind the back of his head.

Shibi's eyes widened. _Trust Tsume to always knock some sense into me, even when she's not actually here to do it_. "Danzo, back when the Niidaime was still in the position and was in the process of naming his successor, Danzo had wanted to be Hokage. But in the end it was Sarutobi-sama. I don't think he ever forgave Sarutobi-sama for that, if the Clan Meetings are anything to go on."

Naruto nodded his head sagely, "That explains that dark, stifling feeling a felt." He looked up at the older man's face and tried to make eye contact, the sunglasses made it hard. "You know, Papa Aburame, there's a reason why that geezer wasn't made Hokage, still isn't, and probably never will be chosen or accepted as one." Shibi understood and felt it with his heart, and to think it took Minato's kid to make him see it.

Torune took this moment to add his two cents, "And Shibi-sama, last I checked, shinobi of Konoha answer to and obey nobody but Hokage-sama. I'm sure, also as one of the noble clans, there's some longstanding written agreement about forcefully placing clan children in secret, shady, military factions outside the Hokage's direct leadership?"

Shibi wanted to smack his face with his palm, or shake his head. _Maybe Tsume was right, I'm getting on in my old age_. He sighed and allowed the heavier mood to leave him. "You are right, Torune, absolutely right. I allowed him to play on my fears of having you both taken from me. He tried to limit my choices and force me into a corner. This should be brought to the Hokage's attention. Perhaps," he cast a glance at the younger boys, "after drop off Naruto at his home, and Shino at the compound, we can head off to the Hokage and see what can be done about the matter."

The boys nodded. They were done collecting bugs for the day. The boys knew when something else became the more important matter. They returned to the village, dropping off Shino first because the compound was closest. "Hey Shino," Naruto caught the boy's attention and held out his fist, "Tomorrow come play with us, Shikamaru's got these cool board games and I haven't been able to beat him yet but maybe we can team up or something, it'll be fun'dattebayo!"

Shino looked down at the extended fist for a moment before meeting it with his own fist in a bump. "I would like to join you. Why? Because board games are my specialty, after bugs." Naruto grinned, "You're kind of missing the bigger picture, but that's okay. You'll get it one day, right, Torune-nii-san."

Torune grinned back, yeah, his baby cousin would understand one day. _Building bonds and making important friends. Living a life without loneliness._

Next they dropped off Naruto at his apartment. Naruto bowed and thanked them for walking him home, and for helping him catch so many fireflies. Shibi looked down and waited until he caught Naruto's gaze. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, your words today have helped me gravely, and I will never forget because I could have made the wrong choices today if I hadn't heard you. Please continue to look after my son," the man bowed his head in acknowledgment.

Naruto's smile beamed, "Shino's a great guy! His bugs aren't creepy at all, I think everyone just misunderstands him. And I know how that feels. All it takes is one person to breach the wall he put up, but it takes more than one to bring it down, you know?"

The Aburame duo nodded and went on their way to the Hokage Tower. They had much to discuss with Sarutobi-sama after all.

x

It was a bright summer day. Not too hot and just the right strength of wind blowing through the Village. Today was Sunday, and they were all meeting up at Shikamaru's house to play (and fit in some studying). It was Sasuke's turn to bring snacks, so he had kindly asked his mother the night before to help prepare something. Elated that her son was expanding his circle of friends, she had easily agreed to help and might have gone a little heavy handed on the lunch boxes.

For her son's sake, she sealed the boxes in a storage scroll, telling him to ask Shikamaru's parents for help to unseal it when it was time for lunch. He stored the scroll away in his pack with some books and left the house. It was still early, so he could afford to take his time walking to the Nara Clan's compound.

He had ventured further into the shinobi district when he began noticing other children trying to find hiding places. _Playing Ninja, huh_. Some, he recognized were classmates. He turned the corner at one intersection and came across a group of children standing around two kids bound together with rope.

"I don't like this, any time with Chouji is bound to lose," he heard the kid with the green hat say. Sasuke looked over and noted that he kid he was bound to must have been Chouji. Akimichi Chouji. Sasuke frowned as the other boy looked downtrodden and apologized. The boys were set free and the kids gathered into two distinct team.

Sasuke watched as one side removed Chouji from their team, "because you're slow," another boy said. "You and your clan are fat and stupid and useless as ninja. What's the difference between having a useless player and one less player? None, you only make us lose." Chouji, sad that the others didn't want to play with him anymore, and knowing when he wasn't wanted, started walking away.

Sasuke clenched one of his hands into a fist. _How mean_ , he thought, _they'll never become shinobi with that way of thinking_. His anger eased when he saw Chouji free a butterfly caught in a spiderweb. Sasuke, having made up his mind, approached the boy. "Hey, Chouji, right?" Chouji looked up at being address, _why is Uchiha Sasuke talking to me?_ They were acquainted as classmates but not much else. "Yeah," the brunette nodded.

"Come on," Sasuke walked up to Chouji and tugged at his sleeve, "If you've got nothing better to do after this, I'm going to Shikamaru's place with some others from class. You should come play with us, besides, my mom made this ridiculous bento and it's way too much for even us to eat. You have to help!"

Chouji flushed but started walking with Sasuke, "A-are you sure? Everyone says I'm fat and stupid, nobody wants to play with me..." Chouji's gaze kept flickering to the ground. Sasuke scoffed and that caught the other boy's attention, "Non-sense. They're saying that cause they're jealous of your family, or finding excuses cause they're not that great themselves. Bullies pick on the weak to make themselves look bigger. You shouldn't surround yourself with people that only drag you down, you know."

Chouji blushed, what Sasuke was saying was true. He thought those kids were his friends because they played together, but they always said mean things about him and his family. They weren't nice people. "Chouji," Sasuke said as they neared the Nara's Clan's gate, and he looked the other boy in the eyes, "You're a kind person. Just be yourself."

Chouji, surprised, nodded. He was a little awestruck, even. "Come on, we're going to be late, and I don't want to hear it from Naruto," Sasuke grabbed Chouji's wrist and started tugging him up the path until the boy was moving on his own again. They walked over the main house, where Shikamaru was waiting by the front door. He greeted them as they came up, "Sasuke," and the he looked at the newcomer, "Chouji! I thought you said you were going to play Ninja with those other kids again."

Chouji flushed before shaking his head and looking at Shikamaru, "I changed my mind, Shikamaru. Why be with people that will only bring me down. Right, Sasuke?" Sasuke and Shikamaru beamed at the chubby boy. "Come on in then," Shikamaru opened the door and led them in, "the others are already in the yard."

They entered through the living room first where Yoshino sat at the dining table. She looked up from her newspaper when the new arrivals greeted her. "Chouji-kun! I'm glad you came," she patted his cheeks endearingly, "I have plenty of those rice crackers you like. I'll get some ready for you." Sasuke took this moment to pull out the scroll with the lunch box and addressed the Nara matriarch.

"Nara-san," Sasuke handed her the scroll, "Thank you for having us over today. My mother prepared a lunch, she got excited and made too much. It was too heavy and had to be sealed. She asked that you help us unseal it when it was time to eat, if you don't mind." The woman nodded as she took the scroll, "Of course, Mikoto-chan's cooking is something to always look forward to. I'll take care of it. Now off you boys go," she made a shooing motion with her hands and ushered the boys out to the yard.

Chouji was surprised by what he saw in the yard. A few of his classmates were here. On the grass, Hinata was teaching Sakura something with the Byakugan activated, pointing along several spots on Sakura's arm and legs. And on the porch, Naruto and Shino had set up a board game and Naruto was looked, for once, really deep in thought.

They all looked up at the new arrivals. "Hey guys, took you long enough! Oh hey, is that Chouji? I thought you said you weren't coming?" Naruto exclaimed before quickly looking down at the board, to make sure Shino didn't take the opportunity to switch the pieces or something. If Shino could make his eyes roll to make a point he would, but it was pointless with his sunglasses on so he refrained.

The group settled on the grass and whittled down their choices of games. It was either the card game babanuki, or a board game that involved fake paper currency and the purchasing of properties to advance in the game. Hinata winced at that idea and told the others how she had seen a few of her cousins playing the game in the past. It usually ends in angry shouts, tears, and a flipped table. Sakura held the game at arm's length in disdain. Coming from a family of merchants, she could see how this game could start a war in anyone's living room. So they settled for the card game.

The cards were handed out evenly and the purpose was take a card from the person next to them, make a pair and ditch your hand as fast as possible. And not be the last one standing with the joker card. The group decided on going clockwise and started taking cards. The first round, Sakura and Shino finished their hands first and walked off to the side where she showed him different taijutsu katas separate from the academy one. She thought it might help him since his family relied on jutsus with bugs, and thus was a long-range fighter. " _Improving your taijutsu and reflex time is important_ ," she had said when he first joined their group's meet ups, " _You won't always have the advantage if a close-range fighter can up close to you and land a hit. Why make it easy for them._ "

The next to finish for Shikamaru and Hinata. They walked back inside the house and brought out the study materials, as well as some tea and snacks that his mother had prepared. It was down to Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto had two cards, and Sasuke had one. It was up to Sasuke to draw the correct card to finish his hand and ditch the blond with the Joker card. Sasuke stared intently at his friend's face as his hand hovered over the two cards. _Naruto_ , he thought, _your face makes it too easy_. He picked the left card and Naruto watched aghast as Sasuke emptied his hand with the rest of the cards on the ground.

Naruto demanded a rematch so they played a few more rounds, Shino and Hinata taking turns ending up with the Joker before the back door slid open and Ino walked through. Finally the group was complete. They set aside the games and sat along the porch, going over last week's study material and next week's planned topics. Sakura helped the Ino with math, while Shikamaru and Shino helped Naruto and Chouji with history, and Sasuke and Hinata compared notes on genjutsu theory.

Eventually somebody's stomach rumbled and the Nara matriarch chose that moment to usher them inside to clean up so she could serve lunch. After they did as they were told, they gathered around the dining table and watched as she unfurled the scroll and released its contents. Boxes among boxes piled up on the table and the children took them off the scroll so it could be put away, before setting the boxes back down on the table. The girls helped fetch the tableware while the boys got the drinks ready.

They sat at the table, the boxes opened revealing delicious food, and muttered a word of thanks for the meal. They dug in with much gusto, everybody praising Sasuke's mother's cooking skills. When Ino spotted a box of sliced tomatoes off to the side, she purposely picked it up and deposited in front of Sasuke with a knowing grin (Sakura mentioned his obsession for tomatoes).

After lunch they helped clean up and Yoshino resealed the clean boxes back inside the scroll before returning it to Sasuke. The group went back outside where they practice the leaf concentration exercise and then Sakura showed the others the tree climbing exercise. Sasuke and Naruto had already mastered it after she had shown it to them last year, and helped the others practice.

They worked on the training exercises until the sun began to set. It was getting late, and time to part ways. They group gathered at the front door and thanked Shikamaru and his mother for their hospitality before making their way out of the house and down the path towards the village. Shikamaru waved and watched as his friends turned at the gate and walked out of sight.

He walked back inside and noticed his mother smiling at him, "You've made some great friends, haven't you, dear." Shikamaru cast a quick glance over his shoulder before looking at his mother and shrugging, "Yeah, I guess." Yoshino turned towards the kitchen, "Now come help me set up for dinner, your father will be home soon."

She already knew the answer before it came out of his mouth, "Troublesome." She smiled fondly, they would grow all up to be a fine Konoha shinobi.

x

 **Author's Corner:**

How did I manage to get another chapter done so soon? I had the day off and I had some ideas bouncing around. Let's start from the beginning shall we? What can I say, I love Genma, he's a fun guy in canon and fanon. As for the moves Sakura used, I had to look up a bunch of youtube videos to try to piece something together. The first bit was Tiger-Crane style. The second bit where she swings up and locks her legs around and falls backward to choke him/bring him down is something I first saw as a move in a fight scene in the movie Mission Impossible Rouge Nation. And then again in a youtube video for Krav Maga demonstration. I watched another clip of it being used in a movie and I guess it's about ending things as quickly as possible. One post I found online said it was a good style of women to learn so I threw it in there. I mean, when you're a ninja, all those Krav Maga moves look totally acceptable. And then that last bit with the pressure points wasn't Gentle Fist, I was actually pulling from Avatar: The Last Airbender's Ty Lee character that used a form of art called "chi blocking" which is based off of a form of martial arts known as "dim mak" (touch of death). Again, as a ninja it sounded totally acceptable so why not. Luckily, nobody has told Sakura what she can do yet with these styles if she powered them with chakra, so, whew, let's wait that out for another chapter.

For Shino's introduction, I was struggling with how to mix him in, and who to mix him in with. And then I remembered Torune, and youtube'd a video of a Shippuuden episode that had that particular flashback to their childhood where Danzo walks with Shibi and orders him to donate on one of the kids. But seriously how did Shibi not realize that he didn't have to listen to Danzo, I mean, you would like having sworn loyalty to the Hokage, you obey nobody's orders but his especially when it's a decision like forfeiting a clan member to the dark side. I had to roll my eyes at Shibi a little to be honest.

And for Chouji. Jeez Chouji. I love the boy, I really do. I bawled my eyes out when I watched the first airing of his fight against Jirobo like how many years ago now. Found it on youtube and rewatched it and pulled the flashbacks from there. I know in canon that's how Shikamaru and Chouji meet and become friends. But think about it, if Inoichi, Chouza, and Shikaku were so tight knit in the past, why would that stop after they got married and their wives had kids. If anything their kids should have known each other when they were babes considering how the Ino-Shika-Cho formation is basically a staple. You don't just have a kid and keep them away from your best friend's kids for a whole 8 or so years, you're in the same dang village!

By the end of this chapter, the kids are probably 9-10. Two more years until they graduate. And I still haven't written in Kiba!

I don't expect reviews, I myself being more of a follow button person. But they can be encouraging. Just saying!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The first time Sakura met Kiba properly was when they were ten.

She walked up to the Inuzuka's main house and knocked on the door. She had expected Tsume-san or her daughter, Hana-san to open the door, so she looked up expectantly when the door opened. When she saw no head, she had to lower her sight until it met an unruly mop of brown hair. She blinked at the boy, and the boy blinked right back. "Haruno? What are you doing here?"

Sakura started, "Inuzuka-kun. I didn't know you were Tsume-san's son!" Kiba looked extremely confused. "Just call me Kiba, everybody around here is an Inuzuka... and how do you know my mom?"

He let her in and waited for her to take off her shoes. "Your mom came to the shrine when your sister was about to graduate the academy, and then she's invited me over a few times to play with the puppies. Kuromaru's my favourite though, but don't let him know I said that!" He guided her to the living room where his mom sat on the couch reading a scroll. She looked up when they entered.

"Ah, Sakura, you're finally here. I see you've met my son." She walked up to the kids and patted the girl on the head. Sakura bowed politely, "Thank you for having me over, Tsume-san. And I already met Kiba in the academy, although this is my first time talking to him in person I suppose."

Tsume ushered them towards the yard, "Yes well, it's good that you've spoken then because I want you two to train together for a while." Sakura and Kiba were surprised and looked at each other before returning attention to the matriarch. "Kizashi and Mebuki agreed that for future purposes, it would be good for you to learn how to fight or at least fight against someone who uses animal partners. And I agreed because you'd be a good opponent for Kiba, he has to learn control and to think with his head sometimes. Plus he could use the practice fighting with his nin-ken."

Kuromaru rounded the corner of the house, Akamaru following at the elder's heels. Sakura beamed at their arrival, "Kuromaru-san!" She reached out as he approached and gave the big dog a scratch on the neck. Kiba's mouth dropped open, he never knew anyone to be on such... friendly terms with the grouchy old canine except his ma. It was unheard of! He looked at the girl with something akin to reverence.

Akamaru walked up to Kiba before wandering over to Sakura, trying to get some free loving too. Tsume smirked, "Kiba, if you're not careful, Sakura's going to steal your partner from you." Sakura look scandalized, "I would never! This guy must be really important to you, right Kiba?" The boy nodded his head vehemently, Akamaru was his.

"Right, now that greetings are out of the way. Sakura, your folks tell me you're learning multiple taijutsu styles," the girl nodded, "think you'd be up to learning one more? Maybe you can incorporate it into your own style in the future." Sakura was excited and really eager to learn a clan-specific style, "Of course, I would love to!"

Tsume nodded, "Good, good. Kiba, show her the katas, and then you two can spar with your own styles before bringing in Akamaru." The two children nodded before heading further into the yard and settling into their stances.

"Ready, go!"

x

Hiruzen was damn tired of all the paperwork! He looked at the unmoving piles on his desk with distaste. _Right then_ , he nodded sagely, _time for a break!_

He teleported himself to the other side of the Hokage Mountain, and proceeded up the steps to the shrine. At the split in the fork, he turned down the path towards the dojo with a clearer goal in mind.

Coming up to the building, he stopped one of the monks and asked for the whereabouts of the head priest. Pleased with the information he gathered, Hiruzen headed into the dojo where he watched the head priest train his monks. He watched until the lesson ended and the students filed out. He approached Kizashi and lowered his head in greeting.

"Ah, Hokage-sama!" Kizashi bowed respectfully as his leader drew near. "At ease, Kizashi, you're not even a soldier anymore." The man scratched the back of his head and laughed heartily, "Sarutobi-sama, then. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Hiruzen looked around and settled his sight on the display of weapons on the other side of the room, "It's been a while and I just needed to get away from the office. I don't suppose you'd be up for a light spar with an old timer like myself, would you?" Kizashi smiled, delighted, "It would be an honour to learn from you Sarutobi-sama, one staff user to another."

The Hokage chuckled as he removed his official robes and set his hat down on the side, revealing plain old-fashioned ninja attire. He picked up a wooden staff and tested it's weight and length before returning to the center, where Kizashi still held his practice staff.

They bowed together before settling into an easy dance, exchanging blows. They even managed to carry a light conversation about Naruto and Sakura. Hiruzen is fully aware that the boy is training here with Kizashi's child, and Fugaku's second son. But some kind of spiritual interference prevented him from seeing the actual training.

As the Hokage, it would seem like favourtism if he were to teach the boy jutsus he could benefit from, given his large chakra pool. It could also paint a target on the boy's back if he wasn't careful. _Perhaps, I could take the opportunity..._

"Say Kizashi," he blocked and parried a blow with his staff, "how would you like to teach them this jutsu..."

x

Nothing could beat a quiet afternoon in the shade, leaning against a tree with an old copy of classic poetry, sounds of birds chirping and snoozing canines.

"Traitor Triplets!" a feminine voice boomed from the other side of the clearing.

Three animal and one human head looked up from their spot when a brown-haired woman came into view, none of the four any wary as she made her way over. She stopped just inside the shade of the large tree before making a tsk noise, sucking on her teeth. "So this is where you brats go when I'm working at the hospital," the teenager looked down at the canine triplets, her nin-ken partners, before shifting her gaze to their human companion, her teammate Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi merely raised a brow, he couldn't help it if animals liked him. At first he thought it was just cats, but then he started noticing the birds, and the proverbial nail in the coffin was when Hana started bringing the canine triplets to school. Hana was gobsmacked when they disobeyed her for the first time, and followed Itachi to their break in the yard instead of her. Then she laughed heartedly and slapped him on the back, grinning like she knew a secret he didn't.

Shisui was convinced his baby cousin's genetic make-up not only made him a genius, but also made him give off a different kind of pheromone. Itachi had rolled his eyes at that statement.

Back to the present, Itachi merely raised a brow before giving his teammate a cursory one-over. "How was your shift?" She had just finished the morning shift at the hospital as a medic in training, and Itachi had waited outside the hospital grounds for her to finish. Let it never be said that Mikoto didn't raise her sons to be perfect gentlemen. The Haimaru Brothers often found Itachi and hung around him when Hana was working at the hospital, a place they were not allowed to enter.

"It was fine," Hana started as she sat on the grass and commanded one of the brothers to approach so she could start checking them over, "No emergencies, but I had to patch up a few chuunin with chakra. It's good practice, I do want to be a vet after all," she checked the second brother's ears and teeth. "Got to make sure you boys don't die on me either in the middle of a mission of course," she grinned and showed off her fangs. Itachi wasn't entirely sure if she was referring to her nin-ken or himself, their third teammate, and their sensei. Knowing her, it was probably both. She considered her team pack after all.

They were seventeen and chuunin now. Itachi was a tokubetsu jounin, and he planned to take the jounin exams in a few months. Their jounin sensei rarely joined them on missions anymore, but he participated in team training from time to time when he wasn't being sent on solo missions. Squad Two, was their official designation in the system, and Itachi was the leader. Although they were officially ranked as such, from time to time they also donned the ANBU masks and took missions from the Hokage himself.

Speaking of their team, Itachi looked beyond Hana as their third teammate entered the clearing, his attire too bulky for the current weather, dark goggles covering his eyes and a gourd strapped to his back. Hana looked up from her inspection of the dogs and waved at their last teammate, "Shinji!" she called as he took his sweet time walking over to them.

He settled into the grass so that they formed a triangle, with the dogs in the middle. One of the brothers reached out and nudged at his hand, and he responded by beginning a slow rhythmic scratch. "My apologies, I was helping my fellow clansmen with their training." Hana rolled her eyes at her dogs before returning to her inspection of the last brother. "Shino-kun right? How are the brats doing these days? Aren't they graduating soon?"

Itachi looked back down at his book, maybe he could finish another page. "I believe the graduation exam is next week. Sasuke was very excited to finally be done with the lessons," Itachi responded easily. Their little brothers would be in the same graduating class, he had met Shino and Kiba on a few occasions when they tagged along with his teammates, but he could not say he knew them well enough. Sasuke sometimes told him the most ridiculous antics their year group would get up to at the dinner table. Itachi almost choked on his rice one time when Sasuke debriefed him on an incident that involved Naruto's original jutsu and the Akimichi's signature body expansion jutsu.

"They're going to be in for a rude awakening once they become genin," she almost scoffed, remembering the endless amount of D-rank missions (chores!), "You're not a true Konoha genin until you've tried to catch that damned cat after all." Shinji shuddered at the memory before catching his team's attention. He pulled out a scroll, "I picked this up from the Mission Assignment Desk on the way here," he handed the scroll to Itachi as their leader put away his book. He unfurled the scroll and read the details before handing it to Hana. "B-rank, Land of Tea, we leave in four hours," he told them.

His mates nodded and rose from their positions. Itachi felt the urge to cough at that moment and tried to suppress it, exhaling inaudibly through his mouth. Hana's keen senses caught it though and her eyes narrowed at him. "Hold it," she walked up to him and raised her hands already glowing with medical chakra. Itachi held her wrists and gently lowered them, "It is not necessary, it was just a cough."

He was under the impression Hana was almost looking down her nose at him, "Oh no you don't, mister mighty Uchiha. You might fool your parents, that idiot Shisui, and even the Hokage, but you can't deceive my ears and nose. I know the sounds different kinds of coughs make and I could practically smell the nasty scent of damaged cells in your exhale." She shrugged off his hold on her wrists, swatted them away when he tried again and firmly planted her hands on his chest where his lungs were. Itachi knew a battle lost when he saw one. He stood patiently as Hana performed her diagnosis.

A small part in the back of his head was actually glad someone had noticed. But he quieted those thoughts as he watched the expression on her face change. Her brows pinched and she frowned, "Uchiha Itachi, you might be a genius but you can be really stupid sometimes," she withdrew her chakra and hands before muttering something that sounded an awful lot like, "Men." She pointed at him and gave him a look that meant business. "You will get that checked out at the hospital when we get back, and then you will notify the Hokage. You will seek proper treatment. I don't care what it takes to fix you, I will petition a hunt for Tsunade-sama if I have to." She threw in a scowl for good measure.

Itachi knew better than to attempt any kind of rebuttal. There were two types of women. The gentle and secretly scary type like his mother. And the fierce and openly scary type like Hana's mother. Clearly her daughter fell into the same category. "Itachi!" she crossed her arms and called to get his attention. She was tempted to snap her fingers in front of his face, cause she knew the look when his mind had wandered, but that would just be rude. Itachi pretended to ponder just to see how far he could push her before he nodded and verbally agreed to her demands. It put her at ease, like he had intended.

"You're also going to tell your family, or I'll tell Shisui and he can be the one to spill the beans," she threatened with a smirk as his face paled a little. Women were just scary in general.

x

"Hey Naruto," Sakura asked as they sat at Ichiraku, bowls of ramen in front of them. She stared down at her bowl as if it held the answers of the universe, "Have you ever wondered about your name?" Naruto and Sasuke looked up from their bowls and cast each other a curious glance. Sasuke was admittedly a little curious too.

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto drank down the broth before stacking his empty bowl on top of the last four. He flagged down Ayame and ordered another bowl. Sakura looked over at Naruto, at Teuchi and then back at her own bowl before lifting up a piece of fishcake with her chopsticks.

"I mean, do you think one or both of your parents were just insanely into ramen like you are?" she ate the fishcake, "Or maybe they just really liked fishcake? But if it was ramen, why Naruto and not, you know, Menma or Wakame or Nori?" she seemed pretty serious about this topic.

Naruto looked down at his new bowl, topped with pork, and pondered her question before digging in, "Who knows, at least my name isn't Norito or Chashu." He cringed at those names. "I can see where the interest stems from though, Sakura-chan. I mean, Sasuke, your parents obviously named you after Hokage-jiji's dad." Sasuke sniffed with an air of pride before returning to his noodles, "And Sakura-chan, well," Naruto made a show of giving her a once-over, "it's self-explanatory." Sakura sniffed in mock disdain before rolling her eyes.

"No, but seriously, do you ever think about it?" she asked as she took a few sips of her broth. Naruto hummed, "I did, when I was a little younger." Sasuke finished his bowl and looked at his friends, "If one of his parents were obsessed with ramen, it would certainly explain a lot of things," he started with an air of seriousness.

"Like your unnatural obsession with ramen, why you're namesake is a ramen topping. Heck, it would probably explain your verbal tick." Naruto's eyes widened at this, did one of his parents have a habit like he did when they were alive? He grumbled a little, "You would think they would have better inspiration for naming their only child other than fishcake though."

Sakura smiled, "Now that you mention it..." she pulled her bag into her lap and rummaged through it until she pulled out a small book with a pale green and beige cover. She gave it to him and he stared at the title. "My dad found this in his study a few days ago and suggested I give it a read, and said you might like it. It's pretty old."

Naruto read the title, "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja," he turned the book over, "Jiraiya." He flipped it open and gave the first page a cursory glance. Sakura smiled, a little proud of herself, "I asked my dad, this book was written over twelve years ago by the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, Hokage-sama's student." Sasuke leaned over, looking at the book with interest. Naruto handed it over and Sasuke read a few pages, "The main character's name is Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he got the book back. Perhaps, he would read the book later tonight before bed. "Dad says you should have it, they don't reprint this one anymore because it wasn't very popular when it first came out." Naruto made a note to thank Papa Haruno tomorrow before training.

They paid for their meal and left the ramen stand. Naruto pocketed the book as they made their way towards the Uchiha compound. Sakura slowed her pace and watched as Sasuke and Naruto walked ahead of her. Honestly she had her own thoughts about the book, the possible connections between it and Naruto. Her gaze wandered to the Hokage Mountain and she looked at the visage of the First to the Fourth. She had seen a picture of the Fourth hanging in the Administrative Division. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the back of Naruto's head and the Fourth's carving.

Naruto was the spitting image of the Fourth, the resemblance between the two was almost uncanny. But she had no proof. She shook her head, it could have just been a coincidence. There were plenty of blondes in Konoha.

"Sakura!" the boys called out to her when they noticed she wasn't by their side anymore. She jogged to catch up to them before continuing their walk. They stopped by the market and picked up a few tomatoes and apples. Naruto bought a single flower. They headed to the compound and made their way to Sasuke's house. They entered and he announced that they were home. Mikoto came out of the kitchen wiping her hands and accepted the bag of fruit and Naruto's flower before ushering them out into the yard.

They practiced their kunai throwing with the wooden posts. Sasuke looked over at his friends after finishing his set. "So, the test is next week. Are you ready?" Naruto thew his kunai and watched as it hit within the circle, but some had missed the dead center. "Eh, I aced those practice tests Sakura came up with, and we've got the jutsus pat down by now. There's no way we're going to fail."

Sakura threw her last kunai and was pleased when it hit the center. "Well, how do you think the teams are going to play out? Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji are destined to be a team, it's set in tradition," she walked over to the posts to collect the kunai.

Naruto pulled off his jacket and sat down in the grass, "Their sensei will definitely be Hokage-jiji's son." Sasuke followed suit and began stretching, "Dad says Hokage-sama likes to favour specialized teams. Ino-Shika-Cho is basically an intel gathering specialization, if they put heavy emphasis on Ino's clan jutsu." Naruto took the kunai from Sakura as she came over, and began wiping them, "Or, if they use their formation effectively, they're a delay/sabotage specialization."

Sakura hummed in thought, "And if we're playing on Hokage-sama's favourite for specializations and given Tsume-san's stories, that means Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are going to be placed together on a team with a tracking specialization."

Naruto looked up, startled for a moment, his gaze flickering between his two friends, "What... what about us? Who do you think we're going to get as teammates?" Sasuke sucked his teeth, making a noise of annoyance, "The three of us are going to be a team."

Naruto looked bewildered at his friend's confidence before looking at Sakura. She smiled at them, "Given how much you talk about us to Hokage-sama, he's bound to put us on the same team simply because we're likely to work effectively and start out as a cohesive unit. Besides, how often does the Village get the chance to group together all the clan heirs in one generation? You and I might not be shinobi clan heirs, but given your ridiculous chakra levels and my chakra control, we'd most likely be placed on a team with Sasuke for, I don't know, jutsu stealing specialization?"

Naruto nodded, "Or, because we don't have a pre-determined skill set, we can decide on our own specialization. But I can agree with what you mean, Sakura-chan, considering what we can already do, and what the others will specialize in, we'll probably be the frontal assault team of our generation."

Sasuke placed the kunai back in the box before getting up and taking the box with him. He gestured for them to follow, and they did. "I feel like there's more to it though, to the test I mean," he started on the path back to the main house. "If you think about it, can you really become shinobi just by passing a written test and performing E-rank jutsu in a classroom setting? It doesn't really add up, you know?"

Sakura thought about that, the vast difference between being an academy student, and the ranked shinobi of their village. The different skill-sets and jobs each possessed. She thought about the things Genma had shown her a few times when she was invited to watch him and his partner Raidou-san spar. "We're a ninja society after all," she agreed with her friend, "Maybe there's a test beyond the test?"

Naruto frowned, "Seriously? I was hoping it was just going to be one and be done with it. Pass the test, become a genin, get placed in a team. What if there's actually a second test? What, do we take it as a genin team then? What happens if we fail? Get sent back to the Academy or something? That would suck!"

They entered the house and Sasuke placed the box back in its proper place. They greeted his mother as she brought out cut up apples and tomatoes and glasses of iced tea. They sat at the table and munched as they mulled over the topic a little more. "Well, there's only so much we can do about it if it's true. Let's start by making sure we graduate first, and then hope we're placed in the same team."

"And if we do get placed on the same team and there really is a test after the test, then how about..."

x

Today was the day they would be assigned teams. Everyone in their friend group had passed the exam. Sakura and Naruto met up with Sasuke before walking towards the Academy. Suddenly, Naruto looked up at the sky before getting his friends' attention, "Bet lunch that we're going to be spied on by Hokage-jiji with his crystal ball jutsu as soon as we walk into the classroom."

Sasuke eyed the blond, "No dice, he'll definitely be doing it from the office, probably with all the jounin-sensei there to watch as well." Sakura looked at her boys, "How about we switch things up a little bit?" That got their attention, "Act like we don't know what's going on. Being underestimated, statistically, works in a shinobi's favour in most situations." They caught on to her idea quickly and nodded.

Naruto looked down at himself before looking at his friends and then pointed at Sakura's sleeveless arms and her exposed calves. "Maybe we should change up our appearance a little bit too? I'm fine cause I'm covered but Sakura-chan, one look and they can definitely tell you've been training for a long time." Sakura looked down at herself and nodded in agreement. She performed a one-handed ram seal and applied a simple henge to make her limbs look less muscular. "Great thinking Naruto, I'll probably be the most understated simply because I'm a girl but obviously shinobi who have been jounin for a long time would know subtle differences."

They entered the academy and made their way into the classroom. They separated with a nod, making sure not to sit too near each other, for the sake of their charade. The other students filtered in and settled when Iruka entered. He stood at the front of the room and gave a congratulations speech to everyone who passed the test. He mentioned that students would be placed into teams of three with a jounin instructor. And then he picked up some papers and prepared to announce the teams.

"Team seven, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke." The three controlled their facial expressions, in case the Hokage and the instructors were watching.

"Team eight, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino." Sakura smirked at this.

"Team ten, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji." Naruto and Sasuke smirked at this.

"Take the time to convene with your teams and get to know each other. After lunch, your sensei will come to pick you up. Good luck to you all, and it's been a pleasure to teach the next generation." Iruka announced as he gave his students a respectful bow, acknowledging their years together. Naruto's eyes were watering, "Iruka-sensei!" the man looked up, "You'll always be our sensei!"

The class cheered for the man. This time Iruka really did cry, happy tears.

The teams convened and exited the classroom, finding a place to eat lunch and talk till their instructors came to fetch them. The newly branded team seven left the classroom and went to the yard, and sat under one of the bigger trees. Sakura pulled a few bento boxes out of her bag, as did Sasuke. "Clearly our mothers wanted to celebrate," Sasuke noted.

"Clearly, they were hoping we'd make good impressions on our new teammates," Sakura responded, "Too bad they didn't think we'd end up on the same team though, if they both gave us enough to feed three each." Naruto picked up a rice ball and started munching, "Or, they knew all along and decided to make enough for six regardless." Naruto picked up another rice ball with his free hand.

His friends eyed him with a knowing look before rolling their eyes. Of course their mothers would make enough food to feed six. Naruto himself ate enough for three people. They settled in and started picking through the food. "I wish Genma-san knew who the instructors were going to be, or even better yet, knew who our instructor is going to be," Sakura commented off-handedly. She had introduced her boys to Genma-san a few years back right before learning water walking, because it would seem slightly suspicious if Sakura kept teaching them more advance things she normally wouldn't have access to or information about.

The bell rang its first warning and the trio finished their lunch and packed the empty boxes away before returning back to the classroom. Everyone settled down and waited as instructors started entering and calling out for their designated teams. Slowly the number of people left in the room dropped. Shino's team left with a black-haired lady with red eyes, Sasuke was sure she wasn't an Uchiha. Ino's team left with the man they assumed was Hokage-sama's son. Eventually it was just the three of them left.

They waited, and waited. Twenty minutes, half an hour, one hour, almost two hours. "This is..." Sakura started before closing her mouth. They sat together and leaned towards each other, "What if, he's been near us this whole time and is just, you know, watching us?" Naruto slid his sight towards the windows, where he had a view of the trees from the yard. Sasuke looked up at the ceiling, and Sakura looked at the back door to the classroom. They sighed before relaxing. Deciding to make good use of their time, they began practicing chakra control exercises.

Kakashi watched them through the window, from his place in the trees. His breath unconsciously stilled when Naruto's gaze shifted to the trees, but he relaxed when the boy's gaze had swept past him entirely. He remained in his position and watched his prospective students. There were just some things that couldn't be learned from a manila folder.

For instance, on paper Naruto was stated to be exuberant, impatient, loud, and almost unruly. Yet the boy was sitting perfectly still in his seat, a leaf stuck to his forehead, and a book open in front of him. On paper, Sakura was stated to be average but book smart, and he could certainly see that in the outline of her body, the lack of definition in her arm muscles. She looked like a brainiac for sure. And Sasuke, on paper, was described as aloof, quiet, and stoic, but Kakashi watched as the boy carried a conversation with Sakura. And if the man was reading lips correctly, they were talking about trade policies between Fire Country and Wave Country. Even Naruto was throwing in his own two cents every now and then.

 _Huh._

He glanced up at the sky and decided enough time had passed. He flash-stepped into the hallway and made his way to the door. He glanced at it, partially open, and looked at the top expecting to see a prank in place but there was nothing. Maybe Naruto was past his pranking days. He opened the door fully and entered. His prospective students looked up from what they were doing and waited.

Kakashi laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "My apologies, I got sidetracked by some official business." They nodded, easily accepting his apology and excuse. They weren't about to tell him Sasuke had sensed the man in the trees before the lunch bell had rung. "Now then, why don't we head up to the roof and we can introduce ourselves there." He disappeared with a pop and some smoke. The trio looked at each other before shrugging and making their way to the roof via the stairs. They would wall climb, but that would give too much away!

They did arrive earlier than expected though, and Kakashi had to give them credit for that. "Now then, how about we introduce ourselves, one at a time," Sakura asked what he wanted to hear, "Such as things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future and hobbies. Stuff along those lines." Naruto asked their instructor to provide an example by going first.

"Hm. I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate? I don't feel like telling. Never really thought about my future dreams. As for my hobbies... I have a lot of hobbies." The trio shared a look. All they essentially learned was his name. "Now your turn, you first blond."

Naruto straightened, "Uzumaki Naruto. That's all I learned from you, so that's all you'll learn from me. Everything else you can probably get out of a folder. And in case it wasn't already in there, I plan on becoming Hokage, but that's common knowledge around here."

Sasuke looked at their instructor, "Uchiha Sasuke. I have a big family."

Sakura really wanted to grin, but she had to keep up their game. "Haruno Sakura. If I were a boy, I'd probably be a monk."

Kakashi was tempted to sigh, really he was. He had expected his potential students to be more naively trusting and open. He didn't expect them to turn his own game back at him. The lines he had carefully planned out couldn't be used anymore. Naruto grinned, "Well, you know what they say, sensei, relationships are a two-way street."

Kakashi sighed, "All right. Well, tomorrow we'll have our first mission, a survival exercise if you will." He crossed his arm, "A different kind of training than what you were exposed to at the academy."

Sasuke raised a brow, "Like what?" _Here it comes, the test after the test._

Kakashi chuckled, "Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only a third of you will be accepted as actual genin. Failing this exercise sends you back to the Academy for another year, or if the instructors deem it justified, dropped from the program altogether." He expected outbursts of rage and possibly temper tantrums. But they didn't give the expected response.

Instead the trio just looked between themselves before the boys sighed. Sakura smiled like a cat who got the cream when the boys deposited a few coins into her waiting, open palm. She pocketed the money before looking up at their instructor and smiled, "We made a bet if there was going to be a test after the test. I won." Hm, maybe his students were more intuitive than he thought.

He coughed. "Well it's up to me if you three pass or fail. Be at training ground seven at 0500 hours. Come in full gear and an empty stomach, don't want to spill your guts in the middle of the test. Dismissed!" With that he disappeared with another plume of smoke.

The trio left the rooftop and made their way back the dojo for an afternoon session after wasting most of their day sitting around. They stretched out and warmed up before settling into the katas of their preferred style. They each had come a long way since they first started learning. Last year when Kizashi had watched them practice tree climbing and water walking, he deemed it appropriate to teach them the next step in their martial art styles: applying chakra.

To describe it in one word, it was exhilarating. They had begun by learning their elemental affinities with special paper Kizashi had procured for them. As he had expected, Sakura had earth and water affinities, Naruto had wind, and Sasuke had fire and lightning. He was glad he had them start on specific styles when they were younger. Now that they knew how to use chakra, it was a matter of practice and control to apply chakra to their forms.

For Sakura, he had taught her how to channel chakra into her hands and feet and expel them as they made impact on the ground. With a little bit of earth manipulation, the effects had been rather devastating. That little monument in the Uchiha training ground was still lopsided from her second time practicing it out there.

For Naruto, Kizashi had taught the boy how to channel chakra into his hands when he made sweeps and swings, even when he made punches. Because of the boy's large supply of chakra, he still struggled with the control a bit. Kizashi eventually planned on starting him on weapon training, which would be a lot easier to channel chakra into it. Due to the dangerous results of lacing wind chakra into a sweep or a swing (one of the monks almost lost his pants when the chakra cut through the fabric like butter), Naruto wasn't allowed to use it when sparring with people.

As for Sasuke, the man taught him now to channel chakra to his limbs, extend it out his body and ignite it like fire jutsu. Instead of releasing it in a stream of air and chakra from his lungs, it was a steady output of chakra from his hands and feet, sometimes his knee or elbow. His friends' eyes had widened comically when he jumped into the air and brought his foot down in a kick, a blaze of flame following behind it. Naruto thought it was equally cool and ridiculous that Sasuke could shoot fire from his fists. And the greatest thing was Sasuke still hadn't shown it to anyone outside the dojo.

Of course, inside the dojo they weren't allowed to practice with chakra, it was too dangerous. So they relied on physical strength in their practice spars. First up was Sakura and Naruto, so Sasuke sat on the side and watched to keep score. First person to get five points won, and had to swap out.

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto casually asked as he dodged Sakura's kicks and knee jabs. Sasuke watched the pair dance back and forth, Naruto taking great care to avoid everything Sakura had to offer. "I was thinking you two could sleepover at my place, and then we'd wake at four, have breakfast, and then head to the training ground. If today was any indication he'll appear a few hours late, but will probably be hiding in the trees watching us during that time."

Sakura landed a strike to Naruto's elbow and retreated before he could land a hit on her. They parried a few more before she chimed in, "So what do you suppose this survival test is going to be? Think he'll try to drive us apart?" She leaned her head to the right before landing another strike on his chest.

"That wouldn't be too surprising, considering how the system emphasizes the importance of teamwork. Why form teams of three for any other reason?" Naruto managed to say before leaning back to avoid a punch to the face. Sasuke casually mentioned the score as 4-2 in Sakura's favour and the blond cursed. "So what, the test is that only two out of three will pass and one gets sent back? Sounds ridiculous and totally plausible if we were dense enough to fall for it. So the question is, do we pretend to fall for it or not?"

Sakura side-stepped and tried to land another hit on her friend, one more and she'd win. "I say we give him the reaction that he expects, so he thinks he has the upper hand, show him a little bit of what we can do, and then really tear into him." Naruto landed a hit on her side, "Lead the man into a false sense of security before pouncing like a predator," he chuckled, "well I guess there are worse habits you can develop, Sakura-chan."

Her face flushed and she eagerly landed her last hit with more force than necessary and the blond yelped. "Five hits, Sakura wins. Switch out," Sasuke changed places with her and she sat with a towel around her neck, wiping away at sweat on her forehead. The boys made a show of sizing each other up before settling into their stances.

"Hey, is your brother going to be home tonight?" Sakura asked and watched as Naruto landed the first hit. Sasuke dodged the next strike. "I think he's due back today. He'll probably be back by dinner. Why?" He swiped low at Naruto's legs and caught him, tripping the blond.

"Itachi's a tokujo right? He probably knows more about Kakashi than we do. Might as well gather information," Naruto commented off-handedly as he landed his second and third strike. "Hm, maybe he'll lend us some of his supplies, you know, wires, exploding tags. Think we can get him to teach us some of his traps? He did this one when he was five that caught our dad by surprise. Aniki's secretly a sadist I swear." Sasuke landed another hit.

Sakura contemplated their plans for the evening. "We'll have to pick up some dango on the way over then. Think three sticks is enough?" She raised her fingers to count; one for information on Kakashi, two for additional supplies, and one more for blueprints to his stellar traps. She winced, "Maybe five sticks, just to be safe." Sasuke hissed as Naruto landed his last strike. "Naruto wins, switch out."

Sakura replaced Naruto on the mat and the blond took the chance to cool down and stretch as his friends readied themselves. "If he doesn't share willingly, we can always ask your mom, Sasuke." The boy shuddered at a far away memory and missed his chance to dodge two of Sakura's strikes.

x

The genin of team seven gathered at the training ground the next morning, 0500 hours on the dot. They shared a bento breakfast of rice balls and tea before setting into their usual morning training routine. Stretches, laps, strength and stamina training, but no spars. They worked as the sun rose and continued to spend their time wisely waiting for Kakashi to show up. Sasuke caught a signature at the edge of the clearing and motioned for the others to settle into a sitting position, triangle formation.

They had planned and planned for as many possibilities as possible, and came up with strategies and contingencies. Sasuke glanced at his watch, 0730 hours, still no visible sign of their instructor. The group shrugged collectively and pulled out a pack of cards. Their go-to game was always _babanuki_. Kakashi watched from the trees just north of the clearing where he had a good view of his potential students. He could tell that they had spent their time wisely exercising.

He watched them play a few rounds of the card game, not quite giving anything away. He watched their body language and tried to decipher more about his charges, outside of their folders and records. Kakashi glanced at his watch, 0930 hours, and the children didn't seem likely to stop their card game. He wondered briefly if he had actually been watching clones for the last two hours. He shook his head and decided to test them out.

He spiked his chakra minutely, and sharply leaned to the right when a few playing cards almost nailed him in the face. He turned his head and was surprised to see the cards embedded in the tree behind him, giving off three different pulses of chakra. They certainly had good aim and knew how to apply chakra to inanimate objects. He jumped down from his perch and approached the genin. "Now, now, I was just gauging your abilities to sense chakra," he waved as he approached.

The genin greeted him before Naruto walked off to collect their cards. "We knew you've been here since 0700 hours. You probably had your reasons, so let's get on with the test then, sensei," Sasuke said as he tightened the straps of his pouch. Kakashi was surprised one of his students had sensor abilities, but it wouldn't be surprising if Sasuke had learned as much from his older brother.

"Very well then," the man pulled out two bells attached to a string, "this is the test, there are two bells and you're objective is to take them from me." He pulled out a clock and set it on the wooden posts to the side. "You'll have until noon. If you cannot get them by then, you'll be tied to the posts and watch as I eat in front of you." He watched as his students' faces looked appropriately horrified.

"But sensei," Sakura raised her hand, "there's only two bells and three of us." Kakashi nodded, "That is correct, it's a competition to see who's the best. This way one of you is bound to fail and end up tied to the post. The failure gets sent back to the Academy and the other two will proceed to form a genin team with me."

He wasn't surprised then they all gave him angry looks, he could already imagine them plotting sabotage for each other in their minds. "You'll have to come at me with the intent to kill if you want to have any hope of getting a bell. I am a jounin after all."

Oh, his charges were looking angrier by the second. _Good_ , he thought, _let it cloud your judgment, makes my job easier._

"Now then, let the test begin."

x

 **Author's Corner:**

I had originally started this chapter with Itachi's team, but then for the sake of the bell test, I had to throw in the Hiruzen scene. And I wanted to make sure I threw in Kiba before Kakashi. I had to rewatch some of the anime to remember what happens in the canon. Such a shame that it was in English dub too. I'm not entirely sure how I want to write Kakashi yet. I'll figure it out when I can get Netflix and watch the anime in Japanese audio to get a better idea. Fair warning for next chapter: poor written fight scenes ahead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning:** First half is Kakashi-centric and canon filler-based. I actually bothered to look up those episodes because I stopped watching a long, long time ago. If you've seen it and want to skip past it, just search and find on this page, "Genma" and read the scenes after that one. Also poorly written fight scenes and second bell test tactics were used.

Chapter 7

Another genin team, failed.

Kakashi sighed as he walked away after dismissing them. He would have to hand in his report to the Hokage later. The kids would be sent back to the Academy.

How many years has it been now, that he's been removed from the elite forces of ANBU and returned to the regular military forces as a jounin?

Moving away from the training grounds, he moved towards the main street into the city, ambling with no real direction in mind.

 _Rin, Obito_ , he juggled the bells in his pocket, _people who can't work as a team have no right to become shinobi, I won't let it happen._

x

Gai sat down with his newly minted genin team after they passed his test of strength and perseverance. Lee, he could certainly mould into a master of taijutsu through guts and hard work. Gai planned on teaching him everything he knew. Neji, was a little too prideful, perhaps there was something missing from his diet, but hopefully lots of training and teamwork exercises would bring the boy around eventually. As for TenTen, he was no master at bukijutsu but her reputation as the daughter of the village's best blacksmith was something he could work with.

He sat and listened as the three of them talked about their good fortune in getting him as their sensei. Gai was tempted to preen at the praise, but then TenTen kept talking about the incident form last year and his spirit wilted a little. _Oh, Kakashi..._

His friend and eternal rival was still living in the darkness. Gai looked up at the sky and prayed for what it was worth. _May you find students that can bring you into the light, my dear friend._

x

Another team, failed. At least they didn't try to kill each other this time.

x

"I am truly grateful to have such youthful genin!" Gai chomped down on his second stick of dango. Kurenai and Asuma sat across from him and watched him warily. They were used to Gai's antics and tend to over express himself, but they hadn't seen him in a while and it always took a bit to readjust.

"So your charges are passing on the chuunin exams?" Kurenai asked as she sipped her cup of tea. Gai raised his arm and ordered another plate of the dessert before focusing on his friends. "Indeed, they will next it again next year after further improving their teamwork. What wonderful students!"

Asuma looked beyond Gai at the street and called out to their wayward friend, "Kakashi, how about joining us for some dango?" The man continued on as if he hadn't even heard them.

Kurenai sighed as the waitress came over with another plate and refreshed their cups of tea. The woman looked into her cup, hoping to derive some sort of answer to Kakashi's darkness. "Perhaps... we shouldn't have interfered?"

Gai picked up another stick and waved it around, "Non-sense! We were worried for his wellbeing and it needed to be done!" Asuma agreed and took another stick of dango, "Besides, the decision ultimately rested with my father."

x

Kakashi felt his cheeks heat up, he wasn't seriously blushing was he?

He looked up at the Hokage Mountain. _Minato-sensei, perhaps my way wasn't wrong after all?_ All those teams he failed in the past had rushed up to him, thanking him for failing them. He subtly tried to apply the dispel technique, just in case.

 _Perhaps, I won't give up teaching after all._

x

Hiruzen set aside his paperwork for the decryption unit and picked up a binder from the other end of his desk. He opened it and began leafing through the profiles of this year's graduates. He already had a good idea on who the members for each team were going to be.

He pulled out another piece of paper that had some earlier notes written in it. Asuma would be teaching Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, that much was set in stone. Perhaps he would let Kurenai try out teaching Shino, Kiba, and Hinata. Although tracking wasn't her speciality, she seemed like an excellent teacher that would help the children grow into splendid shinobi and well-rounded adults. It was that wonderful attitude and personality of hers, and it was doing wonders on some of his son's bad habits. _She would make a great daughter-in-law one day._ Hiruzen smiled to himself.

He jotted down a couple more notes as he flipped through more pages and stopped at the last three. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Hiruzen sat back in his chair and picked up his pipe. Those three had been together before they entered the academy, if he recalled correctly from his occasional dinners with Naruto. They trained together, played together, studied together, ate together, and even stayed over at each others' houses from time to time.

Hiruzen knew they would automatically work well together, simply because of how close the trio were. But none of these children had a specialty, yet. Since Kizashi was reluctant to divulge any information on their training at the dojo. "No worries, Sarutobi-sama, I promise I'm not teaching them anything too dangerous!" the man laughed away his worries. Hiruzen scoffed as he lit his pipe. He took a slow drag and exhaled the smoke. He looked down at the binder again and came to a decision.

 _Kakashi, if anyone can save you from your own darkness, it will be them, I'm sure._

x

"'Now, now Kakashi' he says, 'you wouldn't want to lose out to Gai whose already taking his genin team out on adventures, would you?' he says." Kakashi heaved a long suffering sigh and cast his glance skyward. "I swear it's a one-sided rivalry, why does everyone like to misunderstand."

He made his way up the stairs of the apartment complex, and walked over to the door the Hokage stood beside. The man showed him the inside of Naruto's apartment. It was, surprisingly, tidy for someone as young and alone as him. Kakashi opened the fridge and saw a couple of fresh fruits, and some leftover fish wrapped up. There was even a plate of dango in there. _Hm._

The next house they went to was Sasuke's. Mikoto waved at them from the kitchen window and bowed respectfully to the Hokage before pretending like she never saw them. Sarutobi-sama was technically here unofficially after all. They flash stepped inside the boy's room and noted that it was also tidy, a few items scattered on the bed, but everything else was expected. Then again, it wasn't entirely surprising to Kakashi, given his glance inside Itachi's locker that one time.

Their last stop was the Haruno's residence. To Kakashi's knowledge, the girl's parents were civilians. Hiruzen smirked and told his subordinate, "Her father, Kizashi, is the head priest at the shrine on the other side of the mountain. He was a part of the forces when he was much younger, before he met Mebuki, if I remember correctly." Kakashi hummed, _a retired genin, huh. Nothing exceptional there._

Hiruzen wanted to laugh in the boy's face, he really did. But it wasn't the time nor place. Kakashi, of all people should understand the importance of looking underneath the underneath.

They peeked into the girl's room from the hallway of her home and took note of how organized she was. Lots of shelves with books and scrolls, her table had books lined up against the wall. They entered the room and noted the traps on her balcony door. Hiruzen nodded with approval. Kakashi moved towards one shelf to get a better look at the titles.

 _Mostly fiction_ , he noted as he continued to scan the rows of books in various thickness. But something didn't feel entirely right. He lifted his hand to perform a seal when Hiruzen covered it and lowered it to a resting position, "Now, now. It would be rude to expose a young girl's secrets, don't you think?"

Kakashi side-eyed his leader.

He had to remind himself they were only here to observe. Disturbing the technique would alert his potential charge. If the Hokage wasn't concerned, why should Kakashi be? He moved away from the shelf and gestured towards the balcony door. They were done here.

The two sat down on a bench at the park with cans of cold coffee. Hiruzen expressed his interest for this year's recruits. Kakashi still had his doubts, but he could make it work. If Asuma was leading a clan jutsu specialization team, Kurenai on a tracking specialization team, and Gai already had his taijtutsu specialization team... he was sure he could mould his own team into a specialization. Provided they passed the test of course.

And he had no intention of passing them if they couldn't show him any teamwork.

x

Genma whistled a random tune as he walked down the street.

Last week, his trio of brats had passed the academy graduation test. And as a reward, he let them go all out against him at his usual training ground, as a gift for moving up in the world. He even let them come at him together, it was surprisingly entertaining and kept him on his toes.

He even roped in his usual partner, Raidou, to watch and keep score from the sidelines.

The fight started out pretty normal, the three danced around him with their taijutsu moves trying to land a hit on him. Then Sasuke and Sakura started to really go at him with some of their better moves, and he was surprised when he realized they were pushing him back purposely into a trap set up by Naruto. At some point the boy had learned the Shadow Clone jutsu, since they last met, and the boy had really good timing with the technique.

He couldn't believe Raidou didn't even shout a warning from the sidelines. What a useless partner-in-crime he had.

Then things got really interesting. He knew the Uchiha clan was renowned for their fire jutsus, but the automatic assumption was that it came from their mouths, not their limbs! Genma had to dodge with everything he had when fire start lashing out of the boy's fists and feet. Sasuke would make sweep and swipes and normally Genma would have backed away but he had to jump in the air and fall further back lest he wanted something on his person singed. Or worse, burnt.

Luckily the flames were orange and red, Genma thanked whatever god was watching over them that day that the flames were not blue. He shuddered in the present, he hoped the heavens wouldn't be so cruel as to allow the young Uchiha to dish out flames of 1500 celsius just yet. Genma's heart wasn't ready for that.

His mind back to the fight, as it had been every day for the past week, he realized the three of them would grow to be a force to be reckoned with. After he adjusted to Sasuke kicking and punching out fire, he thought his mindset was better prepared for what new things the other two had learned.

He was not prepared for the earth beneath his feet to groan and tear apart faster than an Akimichi with a bag of chips. He had to leap into the trees after that and quickly landed himself in one of Naruto's traps at the end of it all.

Truly, he feared for their sensei's life if this is what they could do, fresh out of the academy.

Afterwards the adults took them out for dango, and Raidou treated them as his gift (he wasn't insane enough to suggest a tag out with Genma).

"It's such a shame we're only tokujo," Genma lamented as the food began to arrive. He would loathe to admit if out loud, especially in Aoba's presence, but he had grown fond of the little monsters, "Or I would have considered petitioning to be your sensei." He watched the little monsters roll their eyes at him. Of course, they never took anything he said seriously.

"So, do you know who the jounin leaders are going to be this year?" Sakura asked as she pushed a plate of food towards the adults. _Bribery will only get you so far_ , Genma mused, as he remembered he had to pay for his own food and drink, _cheap bastard_.

"Rumours travel in the Jounin headquarters faster than you would expect, I'll have you know, they gossip worse than little old ladies," he smirked when the trio leaned a little closer. "But we just got back late last night and haven't been by the building yet, so we wouldn't know." He watched their faces fall. "Besides, it wouldn't be fun without that element of surprise you know?"

Grounding himself firmly in the present again, he looked up and caught sight of a mop of silver hair up ahead. He walked up and patted the man on the back, "Hey there, Kakashi!" The masked man nodded his head in greeting. "Has Hokage-sama saddled you with another group of children this year?"

Kakashi pulled out his little orange book and flipped to a dog-eared page before answering his comrade, "Yes, he has. They seem like a colourful bunch, if their photos are anything to go by." This caught the other's interest. The senbon-user moved the needle around in his mouth, "Rumour has it this year's graduating class has all the clan heirs, so which ones are you taking under your wing?"

Kakashi didn't even bother looking up from his book, "The Uchiha clan's younger heir, Minato-sensei's son, and a civilian girl with a penchant for booby traps."

 _That sounds awfully familiar._

"I see, well," he slapped Kakashi on the back one more time for good measure, "at least Minato-sama's son will be in good hands. Good luck, bud!" and then he flash stepped to a rooftop a block away and headed in a different direction. _Just wait 'til Raidou hears about this, he's going to have kittens!_

x

Kakashi stood before the memorial stone, like he does every day, every morning, like clockwork.

"You can come out now," he says without bothering to turn. A man in ANBU uniform steps out from behind the trees. "Senpai, you haven't changed one bit," the newcomer said as he removed his mask.

Kakashi side-eyed the other man, "I'm not part of ANBU anymore, there's no need to call me senpai, Tenzou."

"Senpai will also be my senpai. If you want me to stop, you'll have to agree to stop calling me Tenzou first." Kakashi turned around fully and adopted his usual aloof stance, "But then, I would miss the look of aggravation in your eyes every time I used it. Where would the fun be in that if I couldn't have at least that much?"

Tenzou sighed heavily, "Of course you would. Only you. You're late you know? To meet your genin team. You're not in ANBU anymore, and you're not a babysitter either, but at least try to remain punctual, senpai."

Kakashi made a noise of consideration as he walked past his junior, "Keep that up, Tenzou, and maybe I'll have to justify your departure from ANBU like the others did to me." The brunet looked appropriately horrified at the threat and watched dumbly as Kakashi waved him goodbye with a "See ya later."

Perhaps his senpai is changing, a little bit at a time.

x

"Now then, let the test begin."

The genin scattered, hiding themselves. _Well done._ He pulled out his orange book and made an obvious show of reading it, disregarding his surroundings. _Let's see what you will do next._

Naruto, as anticipated, was the first to come rushing out. The boy charged him head-on and attacked with taijutsu. Kakashi dodged it all with little effort before the boy backed away and disappeared into the trees. _So they're testing the waters..._

The next to come out was Sasuke, this time the boy rushed out with shuriken, and even thew in the standard Uchiha fireball jutsu. Kakashi took the weapons to the side but substituted out with a log at the last second, much to someone's frustration. _His weapons made no noise, interesting._

Kakashi reappeared in another part of the training ground, a little further from where they started and began walking down the first visible path. He stopped just short of the next open space and stared hard at the ground. It was almost too perfect, not a thing out of place. He was tempted to sigh as he picked up a stone and threw it hard into the center, expecting a trap to spring.

Nothing happened.

He walked through the space and stepped on a twig at the other end, it snapped and he felt a trap activating. _Damn it._ He substituted himself out again and reappeared elsewhere. _That was close._

Maybe it was time to seek them out individually. He felt for the first available signature and headed towards it. _Ah, Sakura_. He weaved a genjutsu and cast it on the girl. He watched from a distance as she stilled and her eyes glazed over. Something didn't quite add up. He created a clone and watched as it pulled out a kunai and approached the girl from behind. As he swung the blade down, Sakura whirled and punched the clone in the gut, dispelling it.

The real Kakashi watched from his spot, surprised but not surprised that she could fake being under genjutsu so well. _She probably dispelled it from the beginning and acted zoned out to try to lure me in._

He backed away and sought out the next signature and found Sasuke. He hadn't moved too far from the original spot. _Perhaps, I'll test him out head on._ He dropped down from behind the boy and put his free hand in his pocket as the boy turned and started his assault with the shuriken again. Kakashi backed away and dodged when the boy cut the rope to trigger a trap. By gods, these children were trigger happy with their traps.

His lone eye watched carefully when the boy formed hand seals for another fireball jutsu and disappeared as it was executed. He felt the boy above ground pivot, looking for him, "I'm underneath!" Kakashi's hands extended up from the ground and wrapped around his ankles, pulling Sasuke down until it was just his head above ground.

 _Now then, the only one left is Naruto._ Kakashi searched for the last signature but couldn't find it, so he decided to get a little more specific, after all every person had a unique signature, especially someone as special as Naruto. When he found it, his lone eye widened in alarm as it shot to the head on the ground. "But, that's not possible, unless!"

Sasuke, or Naruto disguised as Sasuke, looked up at Kakashi and grinned. "Got ya," and he dispelled like a dang _clone_.

Kakashi reacted just in time and whirled around to block a kick with his arm, but was not wholly prepared for the streak of flame that followed afterward. Kakashi jumped back and glanced at his singed shirt before looking at Sakura. "I wasn't aware you could do that." He would smile, but he couldn't afford to keep his eye off his students anymore. Things just got really interesting.

"Well, sensei, you know chakra control is my thing, on paper it's all I'm really good at." Sakura smirked before engaging him in another taijutsu spar, with added fire works. He had to dodge a particularly high sweep aimed for his hair before jumping back to avoid the fire punch to his gut.

He flipped into the air just in time to miss a kick from Naruto as he joined the fray. Kakashi wasn't an elite jounin for nothing if he couldn't handle two children in a fight. He had to stow his book away, disappointed that he wouldn't get a chance to read it anymore. He was almost tempted to get a little too close for comfort, just to see what trick Naruto had up his sleeve.

 _Damn it,_ because his curiosity won out and he substituted himself again before disappearing under the ground. He wasn't sure if the same trick would work twice, but this is _Naruto_ he's thinking about here. The boy could be a little thick-headed sometimes.

Then he heard a war cry above ground and the earth buckled and split, and Kakashi almost wet his pants.

"Kakashi-sensei, found you."

Pulling on his mental big boy pants, he stepped out of the rubble and stared down the boys. And then Sasuke came running out from the bushes, a look of horror on his face, "Guys, I got it!" He ran and continued to shout, "They said the next book is called Icha Icha Violence!"

Kakashi stilled.

"The shopkeeper said it's about," Kakashi's eye widened in horror, "this girl named Akari, and this guy named Ryu, and-" _SPOILERS_ , Kakashi thought and covered his ears but damn it Sasuke was still talking about a book he had yet to even _get his hands on_ , that _wasn't even released yet_ , and he said the _ending_ was-

 _AH!_ He shut his eye despite him approaching and felt the whip of wind-natured chakra before opening his eye and staring stupidly at his three students. With his two bells. "Ah!" he shouted as he dropped his hands from his head. "That's not fair!" he pointed at Sasuke, "And how did you even find out that information, you're not even old enough to be in those kind of stores!"

They grinned, the cheeky little monsters, and he wanted retribution! "Well, you may have taken the bells, but there's only two! One of you still has to get sent back to the Academy."

Their smiles morphed into devious smirks and then realization came crashing down on Kakashi like the most unforgiving waterfall.

"Sensei, we knew from the beginning that this was a test on teamwork," Naruto, using Sakura's voice, said.

 _Damn it all to hell, seriously._

He watched as Sakura released her henge to reveal Sasuke, Naruto released his henge to reveal Sakura, and Sasuke released his henge to reveal Naruto. They had transformed into each other to throw him off, in case he discovered something outside their official records. _They certainly know how to keep things off the radar._

"After you dismissed us yesterday, we started planning and gathering information on you. My brother was a big help," Sasuke added as they pulled off their headbands and swapped them around, "Aniki said you had a ridiculously good sense of smell." He doubted the Uchiha heir used works like 'ridiculously' but Kakashi got the point.

"And we disregarded your warning and ate breakfast anyways," Naruto commented, "Mikoto-san's the best cook in the village!" Kakashi was surprised that they hung out and even slept over at the Uchiha main family's residence. He was sure Sasuke set himself apart from his peers. _Oh, I miscalculated badly._

He could almost hear Hiruzen laughing as he watched from his office with the crystal ball.

"So, how did you do it? What was your plan? Debrief me," Kakashi commanded as he walked them over to the wooden posts. He turned off the alarm clock and sat down, motioning for the others to sit too.

"Well," Sakura started, "We were already disguised as each other when we left the Uchiha compound. So when you arrived and watched us play cards, you were already being misguided." Naruto's stomach growled and Kakashi pulled out two lunch boxes. He had intended to use them as the next step because he was sure they would fail to get the bells. He chuckled weakly as he handed the boy the lunches.

Sasuke pulled out a scroll and released a bigger lunch and Sakura proceeded to set up the cloth and opened the boxes on top revealing plenty of food, enough for the whole team. Sasuke handed their instructor a pair of chopsticks and continued to explain, "We continued to play along when you said one of us was going to get sent back to the Academy. We had all night to think about what would happen today, actually, we already had a feeling it would come down to that a few weeks back before graduation."

Kakashi gave his thanks but didn't reach for any of the food yet, he had eaten earlier and barely expended as much energy as his students. "So then when you said to begin and we scattered, I created a shadow clone and sent him into the city as an animal. And then I ordered him to disguise himself as a generic adult civilian and enter the bookstore and ask about that book you have," Naruto explained between mouthfuls of food. He was at least polite enough to swallow before he spoke, or cover his mouth when he took in too much food.

"We already knew we stood no chance of winning against a jounin, even if we combined our efforts, so we need something else. Yesterday, we kept asking around for information about you, just about anything we could use. We were practically grasping at straws because nobody seemed to know anything important or useful for one reason or another. But they always mentioned that book of yours. We thought we could use that."

Kakashi nodded, compared to them, he barely did any research on his students besides basic observation of their living arrangements. "Does the Hokage know you three can fight like that?" referring to the flames, the wind, and the earth shattering.

"Maybe, but not exactly," Sasuke tried to answer, "Sakura's dad owns a dojo and we learned our taijutsu styles there, and he taught us how to apply chakra to our styles. He even taught us the shadow clone jutsu, out of the blue one day, but Naruto's the only one who can use it to it's full potential. Sakura and I clocked out after the second clone, Naruto can easily fill the field with them."

"My dad mentioned Hokage-sama visiting him a while back at the dojo, since his family and ours both use the staff in our principle style. If he had to personally visit, I think," Sakura thought about the sacred tree and the little wolf figurine she left at the base, "there's something about the shrine grounds that prevents him from watching us with his crystal ball when we're there."

Kakashi nodded as he absorbed all this. These three were bound to pass his bell test from the beginning and the only one who didn't know was him. He sighed long sufferingly, he was going to have a chat with the Hokage when he handed in his report later.

"Well, I don't think it needs to be said, but I will just to make it official; the three of you pass. Starting tomorrow we'll be taking missions as Team 7!" he even threw in Gai's good guy pose.

x

"Missions, he said," Naruto sulked as he pulled out another weed, "but these are basically other people's chores."

"Well, you heard it from dad and Sasuke's parents, even Itachi-san said it would be like this for fresh academy graduates. You're not going to jump from the classroom to the battlefield right off the bat," Sakura reminded her friend as she pulled weeds beside him, "if we can't win against Kakashi-sensei one on one, what makes you think we're ready for all the dangerous people out there? Remember, there's always someone stronger and better than us, than Kakashi-sensei, than our Hokage."

Naruto knew she was right, but he was still going to sulk about these crummy D-ranks for a few more hours.

Sasuke passed by behind them with the hand-push lawn mower, "Besides, more time inside the Village means more time we can spend on training and getting better. You can't be Hokage unless you rise up in the ranks first."

Okay, maybe he'll sulk for another day or two.

They finished their mission and report to the assignment desk before heading for their usual training ground. It was still early, so Kakashi wanted to assess them before coming up with a training schedule. The trio showed him their usual late morning routine as they recited what they did for their early morning routine. He wasn't entirely surprised when they mentioned running laps around the village, and walking up and down the shrine steps.

When they mentioned running on the Naka River with chakra, that had caught his interest. He learned that academy records were practically useless when his cute little genin showed him they could tree climb and water walk with ease. Sakura was even skiing on the water, and his jaw loosened a little as he watched from the red bridge.

His students were definitely far more advanced in their training than normal fresh academy graduates. He was pretty sure he didn't have any geniuses on his team, just the fortune of early meetings and a good network of capable adults. But he wouldn't be surprised if they were. He still wanted to ask about those books on her shelf, but at this rate, he doesn't think he needs to find out. He has a good idea what they could really be about.

"All right, I can see you three have been training for a long time now. Because you three already focus heavily on taijutsu, I won't teach you any new styles because what you three use now works well together. Unless you wanted to learn, then I would have to find a specialist to teach you. But we will work on refining it as your bodies continue to grow, and we'll close all the open gaps and things like that.

"For physical training, I think I'll adopt one of my comrade's approaches. I don't expect you three to be as hardcore as him, as he's a bit of a muscle head, but some of his methods work and he's a taijutsu specialist. We'll start by increasing your laps around the village to 25 times, no chakra, and then walking on your hands to the training grounds and around the perimeter 25 times, backflipping in place 50 times, backflipping around the perimeter 10 times, push-ups 200 times, sit-ups 200 times, squats 200 times, side shuffles 200 times. And once you get used to that, we'll up the ante and tack on more exercises to keep building muscles throughout the body and not just one area.

"We'll also work on group formations, what situation demands what formations, and we'll practice what works most efficiently for the team. And after lunch break, and another mission if possible, we'll work on raising your levels in other ninja artes, like genjutsu and ninjutsu, bukijutsu. You three seem to be good at traps, maybe we'll work on exploding tags. And if you'd really like, maybe we can dabble in the basics of fuinjutsu too."

They finished morning training and Kakashi let them go for lunch, but he held Naruto back as the others went ahead. "Naruto, there's something we need to talk about."

He ushered the boy towards the memorial stone, "I'm sure you're aware of this, but do you know why the adults, especially the civilians look at you the way they do?"

Naruto looked at the stone, glancing at the names at the top, "Does it have something to do with the marks on my face? Why I have no parents? Why my birthday is on the same days as the Kyuubi attack?"

Kakashi sucked in a breath, he wasn't aware Naruto knew about the Kyuubi attack. Then again, given the people he surrounded himself with, it wouldn't be surprising if he managed to connect the dots. If he recalled correctly, Mikoto and Kushina were best friends back in the day.

"Naruto," he turned the boy to face him, "you're a jinchuuriki. The kyuubi's jinchuuriki to be exact." Naruto looked stunned but recovered quickly and a look of worry crossed his face, "W-will I become the kyuubi? Will I hurt people!?"

Kakashi shushed the boy and patted his shoulder, "No, Naruto, you're the container. When it was sealed into you, a very strong seal was used. The seal is to your advantage, you could learn to draw on its chakra and control the kyuubi's chakra with enough training. If you're still worried, we can have a seal master check it out the next time they're available."

Naruto nodded feeling a bit reassured. He also wasn't entirely surprised that he was the container for the kyuubi. "Although many people do not see you this way, some of the shinobi and myself included think of you as a hero, for containing the kyuubi. You didn't have a choice in the matter, but with this sacrifice, it saved a lot of lives that night. Your parents would be proud, I'm sure."

Naruto looked at the memorial stone again before looking up at Kakashi, "Hey, nobody else has said anything before, are you sure you're allowed to tell me this?"

Kakashi chuckled, "I received permission from the Hokage, after all you have the right to know. And it is still an S-class secret and the law does still forbid anyone from talking about it. But you, Naruto, are an exception, you can tell whoever you want. I just wanted you to know because you deserved to know, we are a team now."

"So, I can tell Sakura and Sasuke if I wanted to?" Kakashi nodded, "If you wanted to yes, I have no doubts they'll be very accepting of the news." He dismissed the boy for lunch and watched as he ran off to meet the others. He waited a few minutes before flash stepping to the roof of the ramen stand. He jumped down and leaned against the wall between the buildings to eavesdrop on his students.

"Hey guys," Naruto wanted to get his teammates' attention, "there's something I want to tell you guys." Sasuke and Sakura stopped what they were doing and gave the blond their full attention. He sat in between them and looked at the table, fists clenching his pants in a display of nervousness.

"It turns out that I'm the kyuubi jinchuuriki, its jailer and container," he rushed out as quickly as possible before Ayame came over with their bowls of food. His friends stared at him and blinked before turning to their hot foot as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Guys?"

"We already knew," Sasuke said, Naruto's head snapped up so quick he might have gotten whiplash. "What?" the blond uttered, a little dumbfounded.

Sakura smiled as she split her chopsticks and gave thanks for her meal, "It wasn't exactly hard to figure out, given those whisker marks on your face, your birthday being the same day as the Kyuubi attack, your ridiculous chakra levels." _The fact that your father was probably the Yondaime which would have made your mother the last jinchuuriki for the nine-tails_ , she tacked on mentally.

"How long have you known? Why didn't you guys tell me?" Naruto whined as he tucked into his food.

Sasuke side-eyed his friend, "Since we started going through history scrolls in the library, and we're technically not supposed to know. Or say anything even if we did, remember?"

"So, you guys are okay with it? You won't leave me?" Naruto ordered another bowl and Sakura scoffed before lightly smacking the back of his head, "Of course we are, you dummy. Before being a jailor to a tailed beast, you are first and foremost a human being Naruto."

"And given your natural talents, you'll probably make quick friends with the beast eventually," Sasuke chimed in.

Kakashi listened to their banter for a little while longer before returning to the roofs to get to the Hokage's tower. His cute genin would be all right.

x

 **Author's Corner:**

Procrastinated on this chapter like crazy. I've basically forgotten how to write Kakashi. I love Genma, he's sticking around. Maybe I'll start dragging down Yamato as well. Team 7 has a certain charm that draws on the poweful folks in you know? Haha. I was going to mention Jiraiya and his other book, Tale of the Utterly Jutsu Ninja, but then realized that Jiraiya's name does not appear on the cover of the Icha Icha series.

Of course because I took Mizuki out of the picture, Naruto never found out earlier that he was the container, I think that happens in the anime canon first episode. The canon second bell test also won't exist in this story because I'm self-indulgent and altered the course already by removing the Uchiha Massacre and ultimately Sasuke's defection.

Can I please have the squirts invade Kakashi's apartment and replace his bedding? Those shuriken sheets in the canon filler bothered me. I want like paw prints or something. Sorry, I'm a dog person, Kakashi's a dog person. We have that much in common.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 08

Tenacious.

That was how Sasuke would describe that poor cat that belonged to the daimyo's wife. This was perhaps the second time this month they had received the D-rank mission to retrieve Tora for the woman. Sasuke thinks the cat is every desperate man's spirit animal.

He crouches under the bushes as he waits for the tabby to come out of hiding. His headset is on and he's listening to his teammates over the radio, quietly bickering from different positions. This time around, it's Sasuke's turn to flush the cat out and he does just that when he notices movement up ahead.

Tora backpedals and scrambles to run in a different direction, jumping and clawing for purchase at the closest tree. The tabby claws his way to higher ground and runs along the closest branch when Naruto drops down from above with a crate open and sweeping in. Tora falls back to the ground to dodge the contraption before running out into the clearing.

Sakura is on the other side, everything about her calm and still. A trick she learned from Tsume-san. Tora slows to a trot and stops just out of her reach. She gets down on her knees and blinks slowly at him without making direct eye contact. She extends one hand and waits. Tora is reluctant to trust another human, recognizing those blasted headbands for his captors. But, this girl wasn't trying to hunt him down like the others. He didn't want to go back to that woman.

Slowly he moved forward until he was nose to her hand. He sniffed it before licking the tips of her fingers and brushing his mouth against her hand. She watched, fascinated in the body language of cats as he started rubbing the length of his body along her arm, swishing his tail in the air. She waited until he invited himself on to her lap before she pet his chin and rubbed his ears. "Oh you poor boy, your ear must hurt," she soothed the cat as she untied the offending ribbon around his right ear.

Tora made up his mind, this human was a good human.

Her boys and Kakashi entered the clearing and walked over to her as she continued to sooth the cat. She picked up Tora as she stood and leaned in when he began to nuzzle the side of her head. She was pleased to hear him purring.

"I feel like I've seen this before..." Sasuke commented as he watched Tora react positively to Sakura. His fist hit his palm lightly as it came to him, he had seen animals react such a way before... to Itachi.

Kakashi's eye crinkled with his smile, "Good work team, you three have really improved your formations and strategizing. I suppose we can call it a successful mission." Naruto watched Tora and tried to match what he was seeing with what he remembered the last time they had to deliver the cat to Madam Shijimi, "Do.. do we have to return him?"

Kakashi's eye widened in mock surprise, "Certainly you don't intend to keep him? Tora-kun does belong to the Fire Daimyo's wife after all." Sakura petted the cat when it stiffened at the mention of the woman's name, "But Tora-kun obviously doesn't share the same notion as her, he's always running away. He could get seriously hurt if this keeps happening."

Kakashi hummed, "So what do you three suggest we do, if you plan on failing this mission?" Naruto wasn't too concerned about failing one D-rank, they had already completed a slew of them in the few months they've been together. He wasn't too concerned about the pay either, he looked up at the sky to judge the day, it was still early and they could just pick up another D-rank after lunch.

"I think I have an idea," Sasuke said slowly as the wheels began turning in his head. He drew them closer and started to explain his idea. The group nodded and dispersed. Kakashi returned to the assigment desk to report the mission a failure, while his cute genin return to Sasuke's house.

They walked into his home and greeted his parents, the cat still in Sakura's arms. Fugaku raised a brow but otherwise did not comment. It was Mikoto who came out from the kitchen, cooing at the tabby cat. Surely his wife wasn't planning on keeping the cat.

Sasuke began to explain the situation to his parents and when it was revealed who the cat truly belonged to, Mikoto's face had paled a bit and her husband knew the cat wasn't staying for sure. Their youngest son asked for the whereabouts of Itachi and then they set out into the yard to find his brother. They waited just off to the side of the target zone while Itachi practiced his kunai throwing. When he landed and turned towards his brother and his friends, the younger trio felt it safe to approach.

Sasuke explained the situation to his brother as Tora excitedly leapt from Sakura to the older boy, purring loudly as he would his way around the back of the boy's neck. He kneaded the boy's arm and continued to purr. Naruto thinks he sees a look of resignation on the older boy's face before it returns to his usual poker face. Itachi lifts his hand to scratch Tora's head, they obviously were acquainted.

"Nii-san, can you take him to Neko-baa, please? I know he'll be much happier there!" Sasuke requested. Itachi's eyes roamed from one youngster to the next, each with a naive pleading look. But it was ultimately Sasuke's, with their mother's eyes that won him over. He nodded as he pocketed his weapons, "Very well, Sasuke. I never expected Tora to have lived this long. I'm sure Neko-baa's place will be like a retirement paradise for him. Have you decided what to tell Madam Shijimi?"

The trio exchanged sheepish looks before looking at Itachi, and it was Sakura who replied, "We left that up to Kakashi-sensei, he has a way with words." Itachi almost wanted to facepalm, sometimes Kakashi's did very little to placate people. But he had to accept the situation for what it was, "Very well, I will leave shortly. Please tell mother I will be back for dinner, Sasuke." And then Itachi left with Tora in a swirl of leaves.

x

"So, what are your goals as a team?" Kakashi asked one day after a training session. The trio before him settled down into their stretches. "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Well," Kakashi hunkered down for a long discussion, "as you know, the remaining teams that passed the second test have a specialization. Team Eight has a tracking specialization, Team Ten has a tradition of teamwork with their clan jutsu that gives them an information gathering specialization." He looked down at his students, "but you three are an odd match-up, sort of, with no designated specialization prior to your formation. Although the Hokage did account for all other factors in team placements."

"So," Sasuke piped up as Sakura pushed his back forward in his stretch, "you're saying we can decide our own specialization as a team?" Kakashi nodded and smiled, "That is correct Sasuke-kun."

"Why were we placed in a team together anyways? It has to be more than the fact that we're childhood friends," Sakura asked their instructor with a serious look on her face. Well, it wasn't exactly classified information, so Kakashi supposed there was no harm in sharing. He erected a quick soundproof barrier just in case. "Well, Hokage-sama accounts for your growth as individuals and as a team, he sees how you'll push yourselves and each other to grow stronger, bonding as teams and over the common goal of protecting the village," he started.

"But the true reason," Kakashi raised his hand to his forehead protector and raised it, "is because of this." He revealed his Sharingan and received surprised looks. His genin were truly adorable. But the shock faded pretty quickly, the first being Sasuke. "I am not part of the Uchiha Clan," Kakashi started again, "but this was gifted to me by my dying teammate, Uchiha Obito. He was a bit of an outcast in his own clan for various reasons. He was a lot like you, Naruto, actually."

"The Hokage decided that on a team, it would be best to have me train Sasuke in the Sharigan should he ever awaken in. I'm hoping that you won't have to anytime soon, Sasuke-kun, considering the conditions that must be met. Another reason is because of the Kyuubi.

"As you may have surmised, it was rumoured that the Kyuubi was released by a Sharingan user. It is believed that the doujutsu has the ability to control the tailed beasts. Hence why Naruto is on the team with the both of us, as a safety measure in case the kyuubi ever breaks free.

"I only have one Sharingan, so it's not as powerful, but a full pair can be used to make the kyuubi fall asleep, so to speak. But let's hope it will never come to that sort of situation," he clasped his hand on Naruto's shoulder, reassuring the boy.

"But back to the main topic," he continued when he saw Naruto's expression return to normal, "is what you three will specialize in as a team. I have a feeling you three might have already decided."

His genin looked at each other before looking back at him, and it was Naruto who spoke first, "Well, if you factor in Team Eight and Ten, that would automatically make us the front line unit given our training up until now and our chakra stores. Out of the three of us, if Sakura starts learning medical ninjutsu with her chakra control, we would be in the heavy hitters for sure."

Sasuke glanced at his friends, "But that only works in a situation that calls for large teams to work together such as war, or eliminating rogue groups holding villages hostage. That kind of situation, outside of that, with just the three," he glanced at Kakashi, "four of us, we're better off specializing in something else."

"Such as?" Kakashi prompted, watching the gears in the boy's head turn. Sasuke continued, a little more encouraged, "Between two people with the Sharigan, all the jutsu you already know and all that we can copy, Naruto's chakra stores and Sakura's knowledge, we could specialize in stealing jutsu and making them better. In a sense, experimenting with single target jutsu and changing it to the multi-target jutsu which feeds back into the front line specialization."

Sakura picked from where he left off, "Given that we'll be the front-line unit, we'll often be sent out first ahead of the others because we'll be expected to have the skills to get out of difficult situations. Perhaps, we should also expand our skill-set. If we learn skills that the other teams specialize in, we could become more well-rounded as a team. Since Naruto wants to be Hokage, and we're going to back him up on that, we have to collectively at least reach, what," she looked at the boys, "ANBU?"

Kakashi nodded at this, "That's certainly excellent thinking, Sakura. If you three were to specialize in only one area or skill and reach jounin-level at it, you would at the highest be assigned the tokubetsu jounin rank. To reach jounin-level, you must have all-around jounin training first before being recommended or taking the exams. If Naruto wants to be Hokage, and you want to back him up all the way, reaching ANBU together makes sense. The Hokage should at least have experience in all the ranks before obtaining the highest one, right Naruto?" He winked at the boy.

Sasuke stretched out to reach his pack and pulled out the scroll with today's bento. He tossed it over at Naruto who unsealed it and Sakura helped lay everything out. The group of four tucked in to their meal and Naruto lifted his head after a good helping of rice, "How do we become chuunin anyways?"

Kakashi made sure his mask was in place long before either of them looked up, "Well, technically to qualify you only need to complete eight D-rank missions. However, assuming you did one D-rank a day, or two in a day, one week's time isn't enough for you to gain qualities the system looks for in chuunin."

Naruto looked confused, "What you mean?"

Kakashi smiled as he played with a piece of octopus-shaped sausage, "Chuunin are shinobi qualified to guide others and lead missions. They've reached a certain level of maturity and are level-headed enough to strategize appropriately. The exams exist to weed out those who don't meet those parameters. As you three are now, do you think you have what it takes to pass that bar?"

He watched their expressions twist into thoughtful ones. Oh, how open and naive his cute genin were. He'd have to work on that, but a small part of him wants them to remain innocent. Eventually the trio shook their heads in the negative.

"I'm glad you three realized it on your own. Now, let's say among your graduating class, given those requirements, who is most likely to make chuunin?" They didn't even have to think about that one. "Shikamaru," Sakura answered. The boy loved to play shoji and his father had mentioned the boy thought over a hundred steps ahead in any direction his strategy could go in.

"The Nara boy, I can see why you thought it would be him. It is likely that he would become chuunin if his team partook the in next exams," he clapped his hands together, "Well, the exams won't be for another six months anyways. So until then, we will continue to train physically as well as practicing your leadership skills by gaining experience on missions. Which will remain D-rank until we agree that the team can handle C-ranks. Agreed?" He waited until his students nodded.

"Plan effectively and you'll reach your goals in good time."

x

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura asked one day before training, "can you teach me how to write explosive tags?" Not exactly a surprisingly request, coming from a girl who could make the earth shatter with her fists. "Well, do that, you would have to learn fūinjutsu first. I believe the Library has some texts on the basics of the arte. You might have to ask the librarian to help you locate the scrolls though, see as it's not something many shinobi bother to master."

He gathered his students closer, "Actually, it would benefit all three of you to learn fūinjutsu, but how far you'll get in mastering it is a different story. Sealing takes a certain mindset, per say. Seals have a variety of uses from the basic weapon storage and explosive tags to the more complicated like sealing elements like fire, or creating a four point barrier.

"It can be further expanded to, say, the Second and Fourth's _hiraishin_ technique." He nodded to the Hokage Mountain in the background.

"Learning sealing to a certain extent can certainly help you save money in the long run. It will also help on the field if you run out of supplies, but can make seals from scratch. You don't even need ink and paper, you can write seals with chakra," he continued to explain the benefits.

"How about you three go to the library afterwards and get the books on fūinjutsu. Once you three have understood and mastered the basics, I'll ask the Hokage for permission to access the Uzushio treasures locked away in the underground vaults," he said with a smile, happy that his students were interested in an arte not many others found appealing.

Sasuke gave the man a questioning look and Kakashi returned to his explanation. "As you learned in your history classes, Uzushiogakure was Konohagakure's sister village. It was home to the First Hokage's wife, Mito-sama. The village was renowned for their sealing techniques, and because of it they were targeted during the war." He pointed to the symbol on his shoulder, "This symbol represents our strong friendship with them. And while we're on the topic, speaking of _Uzu_ shio, who do you think about?"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto, who pointed at himself.

"Ding ding, you guys are correct! Uzushio's leading clan was the Uzumaki Clan, which is where your mother hails from Naruto," he nodded to the boy, "they were also known for their impressive chakra stores and generally lived long lives which made them, however unfortunately convenient, perfect candidates to container the tailed beasts, especially the strongest of them all, the Kyuubi. Mito-sama was the first container, and your mother was the second."

Before Naruto could inquire more about his mother, Kakashi continued talking, "Given that Naruto is the last remaining Uzumaki in the Village, and we have Uzushio's treasures, you're technically entitled to them. I'm sure among them must be texts on advanced fūinjutsu."

He wrapped up the conversation smoothly and had them begin training. Today they were working on their trap skills. The goal was to set up a trap, and have another member walk through it to see if they could spot the trigger or elements of the trap. And if they managed to trigger it, they had to dodge or if captured, had to find their own way out.

Kakashi taught them traps that utilized nothing but ninja tools such as wires and weapons. And then he showed them traps that used ninjutsu and genjutsu. Various combinations and angles to approach the blueprints of the trap.

And then they worked on chakra control and meditated to increase their chakra stores alongside the physical training. Before break he also introduced to them basic poisons used in Fire Country, a few gas, liquid, and powder forms, and described the basic side effects of each.

Before he dismissed them, he pulled out three sets of forms and handed them to his students. "These are for the medic training program at the hospital. All three of you could benefit from learning even basic and emergency first aid if you cannot advance to the medic ninjutsu portion of the program. But if you're determined to learn medical ninjutsu then we will make time to accommodate that when we get to it," he looked over at Sakura, "I believe you are familiar with the Inuzuka head family, Sakura. Perhaps you can ask Hana-san for some pointers and advice, as she has graduated the training program and works part-time at the hospital now."

The girl nodded and he waved them off to go eat lunch. Today they were eating at a restaurant that served set meals. Sakura and Sasuke were adamant that ramen every lunch just wasn't healthy and if Naruto wanted the occasional team lunch at his favourite joint, he had to concede to eating normal nutritional lunches on occasion as well.

They sat and ordered, then looked over the forms as they waited for their food. Sakura was the first to sign the form, followed up Sasuke and Naruto. The blond looked at his friend, "I think between the three of us, Sakura has the highest chances of succeeding at medical ninjutsu. It says here that medical ninja aren't allowed on the front lines, and we all know you have no intention of staying in the back."

Sasuke agreed, "So Naruto and I will learn basic and emergency first aid with you, and try our hand at medical ninjutsu for the sake of improving our chakra control. But you'll probably be the one to pick it up faster than the rest of us and complete the program."

Sakura nodded, "But I won't become a medic ninja, I want to be able to heal you guys when you're injured, but I'm also going to join the fight to keep you guys from getting injured heavily. And if I'm injured, you guys can treat me." It sounded like a solid plan. Sasuke nodded but posed another question to that idea, "But if you're the medic, and you're injured heavily, how do you treat yourself with medical chakra since we won't be able to do anything beyond the basics. There must be a way to counteract that problem."

"I wonder if there's some way to transfer chakra from one person to another and convert it to medical chakra, if we could that would be awesome," Naruto exclaimed, "Sakura would be the healer, and I'd be the battery, we could use my chakra to heal really bad wounds I bet!" Sakura mused at the idea and nodded, "It's worth finding out once we start learning."

They ate their meal while discussing other training topics before paying their bill and exiting. Part way down the street, a familiar voice called out to them. "Sakura!" Team Seven turned around to see Team Ten walking towards them. "Ino!" she returned the greeting as they closed the distance.

"Did you already have lunch?" the blond girl asked, surprised the other team wasn't near Ichiraku at this time of day. Sasuke nodded and began to converse quietly with Chouji. "You guys look a little tanner, have you all turned into training nuts?" the Akimichi teased.

Sasuke blinked. In all honesty they really did a lot of training and supplemented the free time with D-rank missions or studying scrolls and texts until dinner time. Even then they were still together and trained more before bed. Maybe they were training nuts.

"Want to join us?" Naruto invited out of the blue, but he already knew how the other team would respond. And true to his assumption, Shikamaru piped in with his usual, "Troublesome." Naruto supposed Ino-Shika-Cho didn't really have to train as hard considering their clan jutsus. The one who needed physical training the most was probably Chouji, but the boy had always favoured food over exercise.

"We'll pass this time, Naruto, we have a mission to get to after lunch," Chouji supplied when Shikamaru didn't look willing to say more than his favourite word. The group exchanged pleasantries before parting ways. The stopped by the hospital to drop off their forms before returning to their training ground. Immediately they dropped to the ground to begin preparing for the afternoon set.

When Kakashi returned they practiced genjutsu and worked heavily on how to notice the signs of one beginning, the subtle differences, and the various ways to dispel it. Naruto had difficulty noticing the signs of genjutsu triggering, and Sakura had to break him out of it before explaining what he missed the previous time.

Kakashi also decided to throw in his two cents, "Hm, well, shinobi with very large chakra pools, such as that of a jinchuuriki tend to get trapped in genjutsu easily and generally have more difficulty in breaking out of the illusion. However," he paused to watch the boy's face go from sullen to expectant, "because you are also a jinchuuriki, Naruto, you can easily break out of genjutsu if you worked on your link with the Kyuubi. Until then you'll have to learn and practice like the rest of us."

"When will I learn to control what I have?" Naruto asked. Kakashi smiled, "When the sealmaster returns from his latest adventure, I suppose. I will ask Hokage-sama to keep me informed."

x

"Thank you for agreeing to help me with this, Mikoto-san," Sakura said as she bowed politely to the woman in her gardens. "It is no trouble my dear, I was a jounin after all when I was still in active duty," the woman smiled and stood apart from the younger girl. Before dinner, Sakura had asked the Uchiha matriarch if she would help her with her genjutsu, to which the woman happily agreed, so here they were in the garden, prepared to practice.

"Now then, show we what you can do, Sakura-chan," Mikoto stood patiently as the girl ran through her hand seals for the False Surroundings technique. She watched as reality was subtly replaced by the illusion. She was please to note that the breeze blowing through the illusion cause the the tree branches to sway and the leaves to rustle. She was impressed that Sakura had included such fine details. If Mikoto wasn't entirely aware that it was an illusion, she would have easily mistaken it for reality. Even the koi splashing in the pond was realistic.

She stood and continued to wait. Eventually she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned and saw Itachi. His face was impassive as always, but there was hint of anxiety and caution in his eyes. _Impressive_ , Mikoto noted, _she even has an understanding of Itachi's mannerisms_. She watched as the illusory Itachi walked closer and stopped an appropriate distance away, politely bowing and addressing her. He looked like something was on his mind, "What plagues your thoughts, dear?" she said.

The illusion looked at her in hesitation before voicing his problem. "Mother, I... Hana expressed her feelings for me," he said, "She.. invited me out to dinner this weekend." Mikoto's eye brows shot up as high as they would go. Oh, this girl was good, giving her such false hope that her boy was blossoming into a young man. She decided to humour the situation, "Oh, and, what do you plan to do about this, Itachi?" She was highly impressed when the tips of Itachi's ears started to burn pink.

"I cannot see her in such a way, besides we are both heirs to our respective clans, it would never work, even if her brother could take over her position," he stated in a somber voice. Quick to find loopholes out of a personal situation, just like her son. Sakura was indeed _very_ observant.

Mikoto choose that moment to break the illusion. She looked up at Sakura and noticed a bead of sweat trickling down the side of the girl's face. "Well done, Sakura-chan," the girl beamed at the praise, "that was better than I expected for someone of your skill level. Genjutsu is always more potent when the user has an understanding for detail. It also works better when the tells are harder to discern between reality and illusion."

"If you applied the same smooth transition to other genjutsu and used existing properties of the illusion in the right setting, it could easily spell death for your enemy. For instance, if you're trying to corner a single enemy, the False Surroundings and Double False Surroundings techniques work wonderfully to confuse them especially in a space like a forest. Or the sea. Any place that the same landscape stretches for a large distance, really.

"And for interrogation, after capturing an enemy and wearing them down, the Hell Viewing technique can unravel them faster than physical torture techniques. You can also apply genjutsus to trigger in traps. There is a variety of application for this area of artes, and I will happily teach you all that I know, just like I taught Itachi.," Mikoto watched as the girl started shaking with excitement.

x

"I believe you are a sensor-type, Sasuke," Kakashi commented one afternoon when the other members of the squad were sent away with another task. Sasuke looked up at Kakashi with a slightly surprised look. "Perhaps you were not aware?" the man prodded.

Sasuke shook his head, "I had a feeling that I might have been, I had always been able to sense others within a certain range. But I never consciously tried to sense for others, it was more like an alarm went off in my head and I as alerted to something that was suddenly there or closing in."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "Sensor types are hard to come by, to be honest. And are guarded most preciously during times of war. Still, it would be valuable to you and the team to further expand your training in sensing. That's what we'll be working on today.

"The basics of sensing chakra is to put your chakra into sensing mode. To do that requires focus, and all the meditating you've been doing should help with your concentration. In the beginning you'll probably have to remain still to sense chakra, but as you practice and improve, you should be able to put your chakra into sensory mode and sense while on the move.

"One way to prevent yourself from being sensed by other sensor types is the chakra suppression technique. Think of it as receding all the chakra in your body to the core, bundling it and shoving it in a box. Like you imagined, this also makes the technique a double-edged sword. By suppressing your chakra to avoid detection, it also makes it impossible to use ninjutsu.

"Another variation of that technique, though is the chakra disguise technique, or the mute technique which when properly mastered can lower or expand the chakra signature to match other living things like mice or birds. This technique, coupled with sensory types, comes in handy for infiltration assignments.

"With more training, sensor types can also easily tell the change in someone's personality, as changes reflect on their chakra. Most will either be a sudden sharp influx or drop. Every person, like a fingerprint, has a unique chakra 'colour' so to speak. You'll be able to see it if you gain the Sharingan. I believe all doujutsu users are able to see it.

"Obviously, training this skill has many advantages, especially when in the field and in certain situations where using the Sharigan is not practical. For your training today, I have asked for the help of a certain kouhai of mine." Kakashi smiled as he lifted his hand above his should and motioned it a "come forward" sign.

A brown-haired man in the jounin uniform and happuri-style forehead protector appeared in a flash step beside Kakashi. Sasuke looked up at the newcomer with a slightly suspicious glance. "Sasuke, this is my kouhai Yamato. I have enlisted him to help you practice your sensory skills," he made a placating gesture when Sasuke gave them a dubious look.

"Now, now, despite how visually unimpressive he is," Kakashi glanced at Tenzou to quell his rebukes, "He has a certain skill-set that can make him hard to find in a forest. Let's have him demonstrate. Yamato, go hide." Tenzou sighed long sufferingly before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Now then, Sasuke, did you get a glimpse of his signature when he approached the clearing the first time?" to which the nodded affirmative, "Now try to focus and identify that signature within the maximum radius that you can manage." Kakashi watched as the boy closed his eyes to focus on sensing the other jounin.

"I see it," Sasuke announced a few moments later, opening his eyes and pointing to the east, "ten meters beyond the edge of the clearing that way. He isn't moving." Kakashi applauded the boy on a job well done. "Good, good," he raised his voice to carry, "Yamato, you can come back now."

The man reappeared in a flash step beside them. "Now, here's where it gets interesting," Kakashi had them walk over to a tree. "Yamato, do your thing," he vaguely instructed. Tenzou gave his senpai an extremely disgruntled look before doing as asked. He raised his hand to touch the tree and then Sasuke watched amazed as the man sunk into the tree, blending with it.

Whoa.

Sasuke blinked owlishly and tried to sense for Yamato without prompting from Kakashi. "I can't sense his signature at all! Just the tree's!"

Kakashi chuckled as he knocked on the bark and Yamato slipped out from the other side of the tree. The silver-haired man turned to his pupil, "As you can see, Yamato's skill set will be of use to your training. Practice until you can differentiate the two separate signatures when he's hiding in one of these. Practice more until you can locate him twenty times consecutively among the trees in the training ground. And then practice more until you can tell the difference between Yamato posing as a tree, Yamato's clone posing as a tree, or Yamato hiding in the ground fifty times consecutively.

"Once you do, I'll teach you others way to sense chakra signatures and see what works best for you.

"We'll practice this every other day in the afternoons once Sakura starts focusing on medical ninjutsu and I can get Naruto started on more intermediate fūinjutsu." Kakashi grinned, looked extremely pleased with himself as he grabbed Tenzou by the shoulder, "I'm sure Yamato will be more than willing to help you three every step of the way."

Kakashi wasn't shirking his duties as their teacher, but having an assistant wasn't going to hurt. Two heads were better than one against his three cute genin.

x

"This stuff is easier to understand than I thought it would be," Naruto commented as he and Kakashi made their way up from the basement levels of the Hokage Tower, hands full of textbooks and scrolls baring the Uzushio insignia.

Naruto hard the easiest time with fūinjutsu and took it like a fish to water. It had been about two months or so since they brought up the topic of the lost arte and so far the boy had mastered explosive tags and storage seals. This morning Kakashi had obtained permission from Hiruzen to access what was rightfully Naruto's. As they climbed the stairs up to the main level with their haul, Naruto continued to chatter excitedly about all things he guessed were in the scrolls.

Kakashi was surprised that Naruto wanted to learn fūinjutsu, and even wanted to become a master at it. Perhaps it was because the boy thought it brought him closer to his mother and a extended family he never knew or met.

The made their way to Sakura's house and she let them in when they arrived. Her parents were away on a trip for the month, so Naruto was staying as a guest on her parent's insistence. Two shinobi were better than one alone in an empty home. Her parents knew the children had each other's backs. Sasuke also stayed over on the weekends.

Kakashi and Naruto placed the treasures on the table and Sasuke lift a scroll for inspection. "Seems it's been sealed, as expected of a clan renowned for it. I think you're going to have to deactivate it with blood, Naruto." Kakashi took the scroll before coming to the same conclusion, praising Sasuke for his insight.

Naruto bit his thumb and spread some blood over the seal. It hummed briefly before falling off of the scroll. Excited, he made space on the dinner table and unrolled the scroll. The genin poured themselves over the various scrolls in this same manner, absorbing the information the lost clan had to offer. Even Kakashi joined in perusing the scrolls. After all, he needed to understand the techniques before he could teach them properly.

Eventually Naruto opened one crimson scroll that detailed a technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan. Kakashi peered over the boy's shoulder and read the opening paragraph. "Ah, adamantine sealing chains," he said with a voice of recognition. Naruto looked up with questioning eyes. "It's a technique unique to the Uzumaki, I believe. Chakra is molded into chains that are near impossible to break. It can be used in combat or for capture and imprisoning."

Naruto looked star stunned as he returned back to the scroll, "Because it requires a large amount of chakra and a strong will, only the Uzumaki were able to master it. Unfortunately it's not something I can teach you, since I cannot use it. But I have seen it used before, so I could oversee your practice and give you advise to reach the perfected state."

Naruto turned his head so fast, he almost got whiplash, "You've seen this jutsu before!?"

Kakashi smiled, his eye creased, "Of course I have Naruto, your mother was famous for this. Among other things of course." He watched as his boy's body started to thrum with excitement. He rolled up the scroll and crushed it to his chest. Naruto was going to master this jutsu if it was the last thing he did.

x

 **Author's Corner:** Another one down. Getting a little more into developing their individual specialties that will factor into their team specialization. 7 chapters in and this story already has 70 followers. I wanted to give a shout-out to everyone who's supporting me by reading my story. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning** : Poorly written fight/spar scene.

Chapter 09

"Starting from today, you three will be training here every other day," Kakashi said with his signature smile and eye crinkle as his students stood before him, looking aghast at the scenery behind him.

He turned around, wondering what was so shocking to them, and came face to face with a warning sign for a danger zone on a fence. He chuckled lightly as he turned back around to his students, "Now, now, there is nothing to fear. I'll be going in with you of course. And so will Yamato."

The brunet looked at his senpai with slight disdain. Training Ground 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death, was a piece of cake for the elite such as himself and Kakashi, but to send in three fresh genin... the man still has _issues_ , Tenzou was sure.

Kakashi was pleased when his genin didn't even raise a fuss about the training area behind him, simply waiting for him to further elaborate. What good little underlings he was raising, _Tenzou could learn a thing or two from them_. "Now then, I've received clearance from the Hokage to train you three inside. The purpose is start on the outside edge and work our way in towards the tower in the center. There's plenty of leftover traps from other shinobi was well as troublesome creatures that have made this place their home.

"C-rank missions are typically bodyguard duty, escort, and animal hunting. They're usually assigned to chuunin but can sometimes be assigned to genin teams as well, depending on the criteria. The chance of encountering enemy nin is pretty low, but there are other low risks as well as you'll be leaving the safety of the Village walls to complete the missions.

"As such, you will be training inside with me, while I teach each of you more C-rank techniques, we'll also be doing survival training, and improve our trapping and hunting skills. If you all do well, I'll even throw in tracking lessons so that you can be on par with Team Eight."

He could see the stars in his students' eyes.

"Right then, before we head inside, I have one more surprise for you lot," he pulled out a scroll and released its contents to reveal wearable weights with seals on them. He distributed them to his students and helped them adjust the straps as they began to place them on their wrists and ankles. "Oh, and these too," he rolled out the scroll a little more and released another seal for three black vests.

"These are chest weights," he picked up the first one and placed it on Naruto, the blond's body automatically hunched forward from the heaviness on the front of the vest. Kakashi strapped it on for him securely before helping Sakura and Sasuke with theirs. "You'll be wearing these every day from now on of course, until further notice. These will help with your strength training and round out the entire body," Kakashi stepped back to assess his students. "After you return home tonight and clean up, you can wear the vests under your shirts and jacket, which I'm sure you'll all prefer any how."

Sasuke adjusted the wrist weights, "And these seals on the weights?"

Kakashi smiled again, "Ah, those are for increasing or decreasing the weight. I have affixed the seals to respond only to my chakra and blood. A safety measure so that no one else can take advantage of your weights and put you in a sticky situation. Can you imagine the enemy increasing the weights tenfold during a battle? I'd rather not lose you three to something that could have been easily prevented. That said, once you have adjusted to the weight, let me know and I will increase it for you."

His genin nodded and then he ushered them through the gate and into the training ground, Tenzou disappearing from sight to shadow them. Kakashi had his team move at a relaxed pace as he let them adjust to walking with the weights. "Keep your senses sharp," he reminded them as he pulled out his book and continued on.

Naruto kept all his senses open and on alert, especially his ears. Among his friends, Naruto was considered to have the best hearing after Kiba. Now that he thinks about it, it could be attributed to the fact that he was a jinchuuriki.

Sakura looked ahead as she walked, but looked around in all directions in a pattern every few minutes or so. She could have sworn she saw large thing skitter and slither along the grounds, and might have caught a glimpse of a giant insect tail up in the trees. She repressed a shudder as she cleared her throat to get Kakashi's attention, "Sensei, what exactly lives here...?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, "Hm? Well, you know, the usual; snakes, centipedes, boars, and spiders. I think there's catfish in the river that runs through too." Sasuke grimaced, "So everything creepy, crawly, poisonous and dangerous under the sun. Just super-sized."

"Very well stated, Sasuke. Perhaps," Kakashi pocketed the book, "it's time to pick up the pace." His walk turned into a light jog and the other three followed suit. "Let's play a game shall we?" Kakashi made a show of looking around, "I spy with my single eye, something big, scaly, and extremely hungry, twenty metres up in the trees."

A giant centipede dropped from said trees, intent on making the humans into his next meal. The trio immediately dispersed and took up positions in a triangle formation around the giant insect, their feet glued to the bark of the big trees. _Gross_ , was Naruto's first thought. Luckily because it was so massive in size, it also moved slower, or so they all hoped.

"Now then, despite it's 'super-sized' state, where's the centipede's weak point?" Kakashi asked out loud as he lounged on a tree branch, watching his students surround the beast. Sakura didn't even have to think before she responded, "It's underside!"

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner, Sakura. Now how are you three going to take it out when you're above its head and the belly is touching the earth?" he voiced, reaching out for his book again as Tenzou appeared beside him.

The three genin looked at each other in silent communication. Naruto looked at the beast and started yelling to get its attention, then threw an explosive tag attached to a kunai at its head. The blond detonated it upon impact, but it made little difference to its hard shell. But it did catch its attention. The centipede raised its head and turned towards Naruto then began moving towards the tree he was perched on. It rose and started to climb the tree.

Sakura took the distraction as a chance to get under the earth, navigating her way towards the underside of the centipede. The vibrations it made into the earth as it moved helped her locate it. As it began ascending Naruto's tree, she quickly climbed out at the base of the tree, right underneath the centipede's belly. She concentrated chakra into her fist and released it as she punched the beast.

The beast didn't explode on impact like they had expected, instead it was flung to the other side of the clearing, landing on its back. The three of them watched as the centipede struggled to flip over.

Sasuke remained in his spot and threw more explosive tags at the beast's belly and detonated them. The centipede screeched in horror, angrily clicking its mandibles. Naruto pulled out a fuuma shuriken from his pack. Opening it all the way, he generated some wind-natured chakra, coating the blade in it. "Watch out!" he shouted in warning as he launched the blade at the centipede.

The weapon made a sharp noise as it sailed through the air, the wind-natured chakra cutting it. It sliced clean through along the underside of the centipede and the trio watched in slight disgust as the cut peeled apart, spilling the beasts innards. "Gross," Sakura commented from her spot below Naruto.

Its legs continued to wiggle as the beast struggled, refusing to admit defeat and face it's end. Sasuke made the choice for the beast when he descended from his perch and launched the grand fireball technique, setting the centipede on fire. It squealed and eventually died, soon consumed by the flame. Before the fire could spread, Kakashi performed a low-level water technique to douse the fire.

"Well done," he said as he landed on the ground and Tenzou disappeared again. "Excellent teamwork. Remember, as a hunter, you must think like a predator and quickly find ways to lure, immobilize and capture your prey." His students nodded dutifully as they followed after him and continued their jog.

"The world of shinobi is a dog-eat-dog world, we as humans are at the top of the food chain, but we're not infallible. We can be taken down by our own kind, by other creatures like those giant centipedes, and other factors. You three will more often than not find yourself in 'hunt or be hunted' situations. Training here will help improve your thinking and response times. You'll also pick up techniques and learn to survive in environments against your favour."

"Hopefully by the time we're done training here, you'll all become excellent hunters and predators." He didn't bother to look back as he increased his pace again. They continued to run through the forest until they came across another giant creature and practiced again and again until the sun began to set.

x

There have always been constants in his life, Kakashi muses. His mask, his dogs, and well, Gai. And given their not-a-competition competition (depending on who you're talking to), it really shouldn't have surprised him when the green-clad man began boasting about his students in the Jounin Lounge.

All the jounin instructors had gathered in one area of the Lounge, discussing the progress of their teams. And thanks to some not-so-helpful jibes from the tokujo (he's talking about Aoba), the instructors began subtly one-upping each other with their students' achievements.

And then Gai joined the fray and everything went downhill from there.

Kakashi's sure that one day his students will laugh with him, at the retelling of this moment, that led to their team spar against Team Gai. And hopefully not plot his demise.

Because he wasn't being petty at all when he claimed that his students had surpassed Gai's in taijutsu training 'because your students don't focus on the other two pillars and cannot even begin to compete with my cute genin in those fields.'

"And that's why you'll have a friendly team spar against a squad you've never met, in about half an hour," Kakashi said pleasantly as his team gathered by the bridge.

Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to deck her teacher, or hug him for his brilliant idea. It was starting to get a little boring sparring against each other when you knew what the opponent had up their sleeves. And Kakashi didn't let Yamato play with them, not even in a three-on-one.

They needed fresh blood, badly.

The trio shared a glance before Naruto shrugged, "Sure, we're game. Have rules already been set?" Kakashi was relieved his students were so agreeable to the idea. "Not yet, Naruto, and I had a reason. You three would probably want to create an advantage for yourselves, right?"

"You honestly expected us to create an advantage within half an hour of the spar?" Sasuke scoffed, "You're lucky we already have strategies for these situations." Kakashi raised a brow so high, it went behind his bangs, "When did you guys have time to do that?"

Naruto pulled out a storage scroll and began unsealing supplies, among which were his special handmade explosive tags. Sakura loved those. He handed her a few packs of full size and mini size and handed some out to Sasuke as well while he pocketed the rest. Kakashi watched his students with mild interest. Sakura was the one to respond, "Well, we think about it sometimes after dinner in the Uchiha training grounds, you know, what ifs; if we fight any of the graduating class together or alone, what do we do."

"You three sure like to analyze and theorize. Are you sure you aren't overdoing it? Are you basing it off your past knowledge? Unless you've been spying on your year-mates without their sensei knowing, because I certainly haven't heard anything of the sort."

Sakura gave an unladylike snort, "We've been friends since we entered the Academy, and it's not too hard to imagine the path they'll follow given that they're all clan heirs. Even if we can't project correctly their current skill levels, we at least know they haven't surpassed their parents yet. And finding information on the parents' prowess is a lot easier."

Kakashi hummed as he watched his students continue to gear themselves to the teeth. Explosives, kunai and shuriken, spools of wire. Sasuke slipped on a special pair of elbow guards, storage seals written on the inside of the elbow, in the same colour as the cloth so no one would tell they were there. Sakura didn't have storage seals on her elbow guards, instead they were on the heel of her boots. Kakashi didn't want to know what was inside those.

"You three look like you're about to go to war," Kakashi commented as Sakura pulled on her leather gloves, "you do know it's just a friendly spar though, right?"

Sakura looked Kakashi dead in the eye, "We're still going to win it though." Kakashi's lone eye crinkled in as he smiled, "'Atta girl."

Naruto finished equipping his gear before returning the scroll to his pouch, "Hey Kakashi-sensei, has anyone ever put a seal on their body, like a tattoo, but not like a seal for tailed beasts I mean?" The man blinked, "Yes, they have Naruto. Why? Were you planning on putting another seal on yourself?"

The blond mulled it over, "Well, I was just thinking... but I'm still trying to figure it out. When I have something more concrete and I can get my thoughts in order and on paper, would you mind checking it out for me? If it works, it could be a real advantage to the team, I think." Kakashi nodded and agreed. At least the boy was smart enough to seek guidance on his projects.

The group eventually relocated to the training field where the spar would be held. They were still early and took the time to scout the area, set up some traps, and ask Kakashi for information on the other team.

"Well, Team Gai's specialization would be.. hm, given their instructor, most likely close-quarters combat," Kakashi explained, "they're about a year older than you three, and chose to pass on the last chuunin exams in favour of more training if I remember correctly."

Naruto crossed his arms in thought, "So, they're like us? A front-line team?" Kakashi hummed and thought his words through carefully, "Not necessarily. Compared to them, our unit already has the advantage of chakra stores. Gai has a unique style that utilizes the chakra pathway system with his taijutsu. But it's a last-resort type of technique as can it can render permanent damage to the body or death."

"But that the fact that they specialize in close-quarters combat means they focus mostly on taijutsu and bukijutsu," Sasuke pitched in, "We have enough training in those fields to at least be on par with them, right?"

"Well," Kakashi took a stick started drawing caricatures of Team Gai, "based what I've been told, Rock Lee is a taijutsu specialist because he cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu. He's basically a mini-Gai, and Gai is already very much a beast. Expect his apprentice to be no less.

"TenTen, the female member of the group is a weapons specialist. Never misses her mark. She tends to favour throwing weapons, but is proficient with all other kinds as well. She also seems to have a knack for fūinjutsu, specifically storing seals," he gave Naruto a pointed look.

"And finally, there's Hyuuga Neji," Kakashi drew the third caricature of the Hyuuga boy, "to my understanding, he is a member of the Branch House, but his father is Hinata's father's twin, which makes them first cousins. And I'm pretty sure the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Gai has praised Neji as a genius for learning the Main House techniques that are not taught to Branch members."  
"That's stupid," Sakura interjected, "Why are the Hyuuga divided in the first place. Second of all, why not make the techniques available to all Hyuuga if they all possess the same eyes that their style is focussed on. It's not like Branch members don't become shinobi either. Do the Hyuuga Elders expect them to fend for themselves or not utilize their eyes to its maximum potential?"

Kakashi raised his arms in a placating gesture, "Maa, maa, Sakura. Not everybody thinks the same, perhaps they have had issues in history that has made it necessary. It's not our place to pry."

Sasuke scoffed, Clan Elders were stupid no matter which Clan they came from.

"Well, either way, it's just my assumption but I don't believe their team has spent much time focussing on genjutsu or ninjutsu... not as much as we have anyways, so it might be something to work with. Think you three can handle it?"

The trio nodded. "Good, because they'll be here any minute now, but you would already know, wouldn't you, Sasuke?" Kakashi commented lightly as he turned to face the newcomers. Sasuke nodded, he had sensed the four incoming signatures a minute or so ago and turned, waiting for them to enter the clearing.

Team Gai jogged into the clearing, Gai ahead of his students. The stopped at some imaginary ending line and Gai shouted jubilantly that he had won their race. Tenten hunched over, trying to catch her breath, huffed and said, "The only one who thought it was a race were you two." And as expected, Lee straightened his posture and pumped his fists, "Yosh! Next time if I don't beat Gai-sensei I will run 100 laps around Konoha on my hands!"

Team Seven watched Team Gai's exchange and mentally cringed, two out of four on that team were definitely training nuts. The die-hard kind. The trio looked up at Kakashi as their instructor cast them a deadpan look with one eye that gave the impression of 'I told you so.'

They took it upon themselves to walk over the Team Gai and introduce themselves. Once that was all over, Gai gave Kakashi's students a cursory once-over before turning to his old friend, "So Kakashi! Would you like to suggest any rules or limits to the friendly battle?"

Kakashi side-eyed his students before returning to Gai, "Well, Sasuke hasn't awakened the Sharingan yet, so to make it fair, how about no Byakugan as well?" Before Neji could get in a word Gai gave his patented good guy pose, "Well done my friend! This will truly be a test of their skills! Neji, you will have to refrain from using the Byakugan."

Neji's lips thinned into a slight frown before he nodded to show that he agreed with this rule. He was confident that he wouldn't need to activate his bloodline limit to win this three-on-three anyways. _Nice, Kakashi-sensei!_ Sakura cheered in her mindscape. Given that the Hyuuga's bloodline limit allowed them to see chakra, it gave the three of them a huge advantage since it wasn't allowed in their match.

Without further ado the two teams faced each other and gave the seal of confrontation. Kakashi and Gai backed up to the edge of the clearing to watch. "Begin," Gai shouted and everyone dispersed into the trees except Naruto and Lee.

"That idiot," Neji muttered from his position in the trees, TenTen sighed from her spot in the bushes below.

"Naruto-kun, it seems we have the same idea," Lee started as he settled into his stance. He raised an arm and made a 'come at me' motion with his outstretched hand. "Not quite," Naruto replied as his easy smile turned into a vicious grin. He pulled out a black metal rod from the inside his jacket and start swinging it like a short sword. Lee easily dodged all the strikes and danced in and out of Naruto's reach.

Then when Lee saw an opening, he dove in for it with a sweeping kick of his own. But Naruto expected this, purposely giving Lee the opening he was waiting for. Naruto flipped the metal rod and it instantly extended into a bo staff, he channeled wind-natured chakra into it and aimed for Lee's ankle.

Sensing danger, Lee quickly retracted his foot before Naruto could chop it off, he back-flipped out of range and took the chance to reexamine his opponent. But the blond wasn't going to give the older boy a chance, Naruto charged forward and pulled out some smoke bombs, throwing them to the ground to detonate them around Lee and himself.

Smoke quickly filled the clearing, making it hard for anyone to see into it. Lee coughed and his eyes watered a little but he had to focus. He stilled his breathing and tried to listen for Naruto's footsteps. Sakura took the opportunity to finish layering her genjutsu and trapping Lee in it, all while remaining underground. When she felt the illusion stick, she backed away and resurfaced under some bushes further away.

Naruto bound the older boy in some rope before pushing him into a kneeling position. He kept guard over the older boy, weapon at the ready in case someone tried to rescue him.

Sasuke chose that moment to spring one of their earlier traps, sending volleys of kunai at Neji and TenTen. As expected, the duo dodged with ease and she even picked a few and threw them back at Sasuke. Sakura made her appearance behind the older girl and started attacking with her fists, driving the older team apart. That left Sasuke and Neji facing off against each other.

Neji fell into a defensive stance, his mind already calculating the possibilities. Sasuke was smart enough to stay back, opting to launch kunai before falling back to his favoured grand fireball jutsu. Neji demonstrated his absolute defence, as TenTen liked to call it, and began his spin, "Kaiten!" The fireball reflected and came back straight at Sasuke, who was forced to dodge, but it managed to singe his sleeve. _Damn it_ , he cursed, _mother will not be happy about this_.

Meanwhile, Sakura kept the older girl occupied, choosing to break into the girl's personal space and continuously attacking. TenTen was a weapons expert and the majority of her weapons were kept in scrolls. The easiest way to keep her from accessing them was to not give her a chance to do so. TenTen was good at dodging, being on a team of taijutsu specialists, but she just couldn't find an opening to get away.

Sakura kept attacking until she had TenTen backed into a very specific area in the forest. Her grin turned feral when TenTen seemed to have realized the same thing; Sakura channeled chakra into her fist and brought it down on the ground, shaking the Earth and sending dust and tiny pieces of paper flying everywhere. "Sakura Blizzard technique," she threw an exploding tag at TenTen and detonated it, activating all the smaller ones too, "just kidding."

TenTen's scream was blocked out by all the consecutive explosions going off. She fell to the ground and Sakura leaped on her, pinning down the older girl's arms with her knees. "Sorry 'bout this," she murmured as she pulled out a senbon from her back pouch and pricked TenTen's vein with it. "W-what," TenTen stuttered as she tried to regain her senses, but she couldn't continue her speech as her head thudded on to the ground, rendered unconscious from the poison.

Neji cursed silently when he heard the explosions and felt TenTen's chakra signature flitter before settling. He decided enough was enough, he broke away from Sasuke and ran towards Naruto and Lee. Neji created two clones while moving ahead. He was shocked when Naruto created his own clones, that seemed to have minds of their own. They split from the main body and performed a pincer movement, destroying both of Neji's clones.

He stopped abruptly, just out of reach before starting his rotation again, "Kaiten!" He pushed chakra out of all his tenketsu as he rotated, dispelling Naruto's clones and knocking Lee out of the genjutsu Sakura placed on him. Lee blinked as his vision cleared and he stood resolutely, aiming a kick at Naruto to force him away. Neji pulled out a kunai and cut off the ropes, freeing his teammate.

Sasuke and Sakura closed in on them and Sakura headed straight for Lee with Naruto. She exchanged nods with the blond before teaming up on the green-clad boy. At first Lee seemed unfazed by the attacks, easily dodging them, but slower his response time worsened and his reflexes dulled and Naruto managed to punch Lee and sending him crashing into a tree. "What, what's wrong with me?" Lee coughed as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Naruto skipped over and held a kunai up to the other boy's throat, "Yield first and I'll tell ya," he said cheekily. Lee hesitated before admitting defeat, "Yield." Naruto nodded at looked at Sakura, "You go on ahead and finish it up." She gave her teammate a thumbs up and ran over to Sasuke.

She pulled her fist back and let loose a war cry as she brought it down hard, splitting the earth. Sasuke took that as his cue to flash-step into Neji's personal space while he struggled to regain his balance and start attacking. Not the smartest move when facing against a Hyuuga, but totally worth it in Sasuke's opinion when Neji leaned back to avoid a kick but his eyes widened when flames shot out from Sasuke's foot.

Sasuke continued attacking in his manner, making it hard for Neji to land a hit to close the tenketsu. He jumped back and prepared for another kaiten, but to he had already expended too much chakra, and wasn't sure if his next shield would hold up. He rooted his heels to the ground, and cursed when hands shot up, wrapped around his ankles and pulled him down into the ground, leaving his head exposed.

Sakura resurfaced beside Sasuke and the duo slapped a high-five on a job well done.

"That was an excellent battle my youthful friends!" Gai's voice boomed as he walked over, carrying an unconscious TenTen in his arms. Naruto also made his way over with Kakashi, Lee supported between them. "Indeed. Well fought, both teams," Kakashi commended as he set Lee down and worked on getting Neji out of the ground. "Sakura, why don't we administer treatment and then we'll debrief them," Kakashi suggested and his team fell into automatic movements.

Sakura walked over to TenTen and crouched down next to the girl. She pulled a vial of blue liquid and a clean syringe to administer the antidote. She retrieved a second vial of purple liquid from her pouch and tossed it over to Naruto who uncapped it and held it under Lee's nose. Slowly TenTen regained consciousness unlike Lee who inhaled the liquid and jackknifed in alarm. Gai settled a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder to calm his pupil.

"Well, before we started, Kakashi-sensei gave us a quick run down on the each of you, so we planned accordingly," Naruto started as he capped the vial and returned it to Sakura, "We figured between the three of you, Lee was likely to rush into things, so I volunteered to test out that theory." Lee flushed and looked down, slightly ashamed of how he had reacted to the news of their spar. He was certainly excited to test his mettle against fellow genin. Especially those of Gai's eternal rival's.

"Luckily it worked," Sakura continued to explain, "And then when Naruto threw those smoke bombs, there was also a poison mixed into it, a paralytic one that doesn't cause any real damage until you start moving vigorously. That's why it didn't affect you while you were bound under my genjutsu, because you weren't moving around. When Neji-san freed you after and you started moving again, well."

"The next step was to flush out the other two and separate everyone," Sasuke continued, "my main goal was to study the Hyuuga style and see how far I could push you to reveal your techniques, with or without the byakugan. Which, thanks to Kakashi-sensei was an advantage to us because you couldn't see the chakra I releasing after you freed Lee."

Sakura nodded, "By separating TenTen-san, and attacking relentlessly, I was able to drive you to the a specific spot where I laid my trap. Among the explosive notes were some varied with concussion seals as well, sort of like concussion grenades. After that I poisoned you as well to put you to sleep. All that was left was Neji."

"We didn't go all out from the beginning so that we wouldn't reveal ourselves or give you a chance to adapt since you were the most likely to be the last one standing," Sasuke explained as he handed the Hyuuga some healing salve, "So we saved the best for last, we surprised you and forced you to use up most of your chakra with the repeated kaiten, and then used the headhunter technique because your technique is useless unless you're spinning."

Gai clapped, "Bravo! My eternal rival Kakashi, you have taught your pupils well!" Kakashi deferred at the praise, "They came up with this on their own. I just gave them information."

"However, it would be surprising one bit if we only won because your team either underestimated us, or, purposely held back," Sakura stated, "for students lead by a jounin who _rivals_ Kakashi-sensei and are a year ahead of us, you guys should definitely be more challenging."

Kakashi was proud of his students, they were learning to look underneath the underneath.

"See, I told you they would figure it out Lee," TenTen grimaced as she stretched her arms, "You're the one who said you didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves." Lee hung his head in further shame at having his plan figured out. "We're sorry for not revealing our aces, but then again, I'm ninety percent sure you three weren't either," TenTen said, "what with the upcoming chuunin exams and all."

Neji looked over at them, "We'll be entering this time around, will you?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "You bet! We're training hard to make sure we pass the exams." Lee looked just as excited, "Good, then hopefully we'll get to compete again at the exams, no bars held!"

They all stood up and faced each other, forming the seal of reconciliation.

x

A week later, early morning, Team Seven found themselves at the Mission Assignment desk. "Good morning, what do you have for us today?" Kakashi greeted the Hokage and the chuunin officer behind the desk.

"Well, let's see," Hiruzen picked up a sheet and scanned the contents, "We have potato harvesting, babysitting the councillor's son in Port City, Madam Shijimi is _still_ looking for her cat..." The Hokage could have sworn he heard the young Uchiha mutter 'she'll never find him.'

"No way!" Naruto interrupted, "There's got to be something more exciting! We've done- how many D-ranks have we done?" he turned to his teammates and Sakura answered with a quick 'sixty-two'.

"Exactly! All we do in-between is train! We can totally handle a C-rank, right, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto and the other two turned to look at Kakashi, willing him to agree. Look slightly put out by his cute genins' expressions, he sighed and admitted, "We have been training extensively to lead up to this moment. I think they're more than ready to handle a C-rank."

Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke. He _did_ sign the permission slip to let them train in the Forest of Death and the reports about the trio looked good, so he made up his mind. "Very well then, I have just the C-rank in mind for your team," he began to rifle through the piles of scrolls.

Naruto whooped with joy. Sasuke and Sakura were a little less open with their excitement but they shared smiles and high-fives all around regardless. They were finally getting a C-rank mission!

x

 **Author's Corner:**

2 weeks! It's taken me that long to get this chapter done. Jeezus. My workplace is going through some changes right now with all the people hired after me in my department quitting just before Easter, so we're working on finding new folks and I'm stuck training them. And doing most of the work now that there's less people. So I've been stressing a bit for sure.

I've definitely been procrastinating on the spar scene between Team Seven and Team Gai. I didn't really know what to write and struggled for a good while. And then I looked up the episode where they first meet Team Gai at the chuunin exams, and remembered that Rock Lee was definitely eager to show his chops, ya know?

Anyways, they're finally getting a C-rank, yay!


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning** : lacklustre fight scenes.

Chapter 10

"Any sightings?" Sakura called over the radio. She perched herself up in the treetops, overlooking her designated section of the forest. Her teammates dispersed in equal distances to cover more area.

"None," a gruff voice replied over the radio, followed up a few more negatives from the others.

Sakura shifted on her feet before performing another scan of the area. Empty. _All right then_ , she made up her mind and started jumping through the trees to search another area.

"I found one!" a feminine voice called over the radio. Sakura halted and called into the radio, "Where are you?" The same voice replied after a moment, "300 meters east of you, Sakura-chan." Sakura pivoted on her foot and headed towards the other girl.

When she landed next to the other girl, she clamped a hand down on her shoulder, "Good work, Hinata-chan!" Hinata nodded, accepting the praise. The girls only had to wait a few moments before the boys arrived and created a perimeter around their target.

They watched and waited as another target joined the first. They seemed to be looking for food. Sakura exchanged nods with Shino and watched as the boy sent out his bugs to latch on to the targets below. Sakura motioned with her hand for Naruto and Kiba to advance. The boys jumped down from opposite sides of the targets to corner them.

The targets shrieked but instead of running, they held their ground. One charged at Kiba and the boy lowered himself to stand like his partner before they both launched an attack at their opponent. The target crashed into the second one, incapacitating them both.

Naruto and Sasuke walked over to the targets to tie them up with heavy ropes. "Can someone explain why we're hunting boars again?" Naruto spoke idly as he finished hogtying the boar.

Shino raised his head as his kikaichu retreated back inside him, "That is because you requested a C-rank mission and we happened to walk into the Mission Assignment room right after your team did." Kiba side-eyed his long-time friend and now teammate, "As usual, you're missing the point."

Sakura sighed, some things never change, "Because our client, the Fire Temple, is having issues with the boars stealing food from their gardens. And they keep coming back, so we have to remove them. But we really need to find their 'base' so to speak. Given the report on the damage, there's got to be more than just two of them."

"Well maybe," Sasuke scoffed as he finished tying up the second boar, "If the Fire Temple hired people to repair their wall a little earlier, they wouldn't have this problem. Prevention is key after all."

Hinata nodded in agreement, "What should we do with the boars?" Sakura mulled over the ideas in her mind, "I'll cast a genjutsu to keep them unconscious. Let's report back to Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei first. If they have no problems with it, we're turning them into tonight's dinner. The monks shouldn't have a problem with that." The group collectively agreed before heading back to the Fire Temple, Naruto and Kiba carrying one boar, while Sakura and Sasuke carried the other.

They weren't expecting interference but Hinata and Shino were on alert and scouting the area just to be sure. They followed the path until it split at a fork, Hinata disabled the genjutsu trap and the group continued onward until they reached the steps of the Temple. The group of six slowly made their way up the steps. At the top, Sakura and Shino flared their chakra and the iron gate opened.

The deposited their haul on the ground and didn't even bother to look back as the gates closed once more. Kakashi and Kurenai halted in their conversation with the head monk, Chiriku, as their charges neared. Kakashi turned and eyed the boars in the background, being looked over by several of the junior monks. "My my, how big those boars are. I don't suppose you six would mind having boar soup for the next few nights hm?" Kakashi commented as he turned his sights on his students.

Sakura grinned, "We were hoping you would say that, Kakashi-sensei." The man nodded, "Very well, Chiriku-sama, why don't we have Sasuke and Kiba help your monks prepare the boar meat for tonight's dinner?" When the monk nodded, the boys walked back towards the boars to help the monks carry it off to the kitchens.

Kakashi watched them turn the corner around the building before returning his attention to the remaining genin, "Chiriku-sama here was just telling us stories about Asuma-sensei." Naruto dropped his fist into his other palm in an 'I got it' gesture, "Now that you mention it, that bandana you're wearing looks exactly like the one Asuma-sensei's always wearing."

Kurenai nodded, "That's right, Asuma-sensei and Chiriku-sama were part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, a group of elite warriors that protected and served the Fire Daimyo. These waist sashes are how they are identified." Sakura nodded her head in understanding, "So, got any good stories on Asuma-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled, "Chiriku-sama was just telling us a particular embarrassing moment in Asuma-sensei's time as one of the Twelve, you see."

Chiriku nodded, "It's only fair that I prepare your instructor," he glanced at Kurenai, "with as much ammunition as possible if what Hatake-san says is true." Kurenai and Hinata's face flushed simultaneously before the older woman levelled a glare at the scarecrow. "And just what have you been saying about me, Kakashi?" she asked, her fingers twitching in agitation, prepared to launch a genjutsu if she had to.

"Why, just that you and Asuma are-" Kakashi was abruptly cut off as Hinata started waving her arms around and shouting to get everyone's attention. When the group collectively turned to look at her, she blushed even redder and straightened her posture before covering her face with her hands.

"Not subtle at all, Hinata-chan," Sakura patted the raven-haired girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Chiriku belted out a hearty laugh before sobering up with the reminder that he was head monk amongst impressionable peers. "Why don't you four help out with some of the junior monks' daily tasks while dinner is being prepared. Perhaps if you do well, myself and your instructors can be persuaded to fit in some training after the meal."

The genin perked at this idea and bid the adults adieu before walking further into the temple to help with whatever needed to be done. Kurenai watched the teens rush off before glancing at the head monk, "You certainly have a way of motivating them."

Chiriku shrugged a shoulder, "Children are easy to read. Now back to our early conversation. When Asuma had just joined the Twelve..."

x

 _"We're taking this C-rank with Team Eight," Kakashi announced as his team gathered by the gate. They were a little ahead of schedule, and waited off to the side for Team Eight to arrive._

 _"While we're on this mission, I want you three to take note of how the other team uses their skills to track targets. Out of the three of them, most likely only Kiba's skills can be replicated, and I can teach you three how to do so if you can understand the mechanics behind it. Still, observe Shino and Hinata as well. It will come in handy for the Chuunin Exams."_

 _The genin trio nodded. They were going to take full chance of this opportunity to learn all that they good about tracking and hunting without actually have to ask outright for pointers. They were friends, but they still wanted to upper hand by the time the Exams rolled around._

 _Besides, whose to say Team Eight isn't going to try to do the same thing?_

x

"So, my cute genin, what have we gleaned so far?" Kakashi asked as they sat under one of the bigger trees in the yard. Team Eight was at the other end of the yard practicing chakra control exercises.

Sakura looked over at them briefly before turning back to him, "Kiba channels chakra to his ears and nose to heighten his sense of smell and hearing." The silver-haired man nodded in approval before turning to Sasuke.

The raven knitted his hands together, "Shino uses a colony of bugs; the female bug attaches to the target and the male bugs track the females by scent. However, their life span is only a few hours, which makes long distance and long term tracking unfavourable conditions."

Kakashi nodded again, "And because of this, they are constantly reproducing inside their host. And finally Naruto," he turned to the blond expectantly.

"Hinata's byakugan allows her to not only see a person's chakra system, but through most objects and a fair distance. Apparently, the more they train their eyes, the further out they can see. But there's no way a doujutsu with that many advantages doesn't come with a price, you know?" Naruto crossed his arms, something just wasn't clicking.

Kakashi nodded again and praised his students, "You are correct, the Byakugan is not without its cons to balance out the pros. Extensive use of the byakugan causes severe eye strain, although it's only temporary. There's also one other thing," he raised a finger to his mask, as if the next bit was a secret. But he didn't continue, instead waiting for them to figure it out.

It was Sakura who spoke up first, "...the Byakugan cannot actually see the full 360 degrees."

Kakashi raised his index finger in the air, "Bingo! You are correct, Sakura-chan. The Byakugan can actually only see almost 360 degrees. There is one blind spot at the back of the neck."

Sasuke was catching on quick, "That's why they have the kaiten technique." Kakashi nodded again and clapped his hands once, "Well done, all of you. As a reward, I will teach you how to heighten your senses with chakra!" The trio perked at this.

"Now then, just like how you channel chakra to your hands and feet, channel a very minute amount to your noses," Kakashi watched as his students followed the instructions, "Try not to breathe in just yet."

He watched, amused, as the trio stared down at their own noses as they channeled chakra in to that part of their face. It was adorable, really.

"Right, now, since Sakura usually has to most success with chakra control, why don't you breathe in first, and tell me what you can smell, hm?" Kakashi leaned into the tree trunk and waited. Sakura maintained the flow of chakra in her nose and hesitated before inhaling gently.

Her senses instantly snapped to attention as a plethora of scents entered her nose. She was tempted to cancel the channeling altogether but she steadied herself and tried to filter through all the different smells. "I smell... burning wood from the other side of the temple, the dessert being prepared in the kitchens, the incense from the main hall, there's a strong smell of dog between us... and, Naruto, when was the last time you washed your jacket?"

Kakashi raised his brows in amusement before he motioned for the blond to inhale. Naruto lifted the collar of his jacket to his nose and inhaled. He coughed and cancelled the channeling, choking on whatever he smelled. "Ugh, definitely due for a wash!" Definitely getting too up close and personal with those boars.

Sasuke was the last to try, and he could smell more or less the same things Sakura could, he even managed to scent one of Team Eight's shampoos. Kakashi was proud of his cute genin. "Well done, all of you. As you can imagine, the more chakra you channel, the stronger your sense of smell will be. However, a strong sense of smell is a double-edged sword, if you can imagine. For now, practice channeling minute amounts to your nose every other minute for an hour to learn how the amount of chakra affects how much you can smell. When we get back to Konoha, we'll practice identifying scents and sorting out the one you need amongst the rest for tracking purposes."

Naruto raised a hand like he was in class, "But Kakashi-sensei, why do you smell so much like dogs? Are you secretly an Inuzuka... or seeing an Inuzuka?"

Kakashi chuckled, "No Naruto, I am not related or in any sort of relation with any Inuzuka. I smell like dogs because they are my summons, I utilize ninken in tracking, although they are not the same as the Inuzuka's ninken. When you are associated with a summoning animal, you tend to smell like them. For instance, a good chunk of the Uchiha Clan smell like cats, and most of the Sarutobi Clan, especially the Hokage, smell like monkeys, and so on."

Sasuke was tempted to practice this new found technique on his family, just to see if it was true.

"Now then, let's try heightening your hearing. For animals and humans, sound is vibrations travelling through the air. The eardrum vibrates when hit by sound waves, the higher the frequency, the quicker the eardrum vibrates. The lower, the slower. These vibrations are transferred until its sent as signals to your brain, which interprets the vibrations as sound.

"Animals are able to hear better than humans because they are able to pick up a wider frequency, from 40 to 60,000 hertz. Other physical characteristics allow them to hear better as well, such as a thinner eardrum and lighter bones. Which is why bats can hear up to 110,000 hertz.

"Bats and dolphins actually have the best hearing out of most animals, and have a skill known as echolocation. They use this skill to hunt by sending out sound waves, and when it hits an object, it produces echoes. Humans can learn to echolocate as well. But unless you're blind or navigating through the dark, the skill won't serve much use, especially when you need to remain stealthy.

"However, I think it would be optimal to learn such a skill, because it can always be combined with another skill. So, let's start with you, Sakura. Channel a minute amount of chakra towards your left eardrum to increase the vibrations, and tell me what you can hear."

Kakashi watched as Sakura did as instructed and inhaled sharply at the sudden increase in noise. She slapped a hand over her ear in an attempt to block out some of the new noise. The scarecrow smiled at his female student, "What can you hear?"

Sakura frowned in concentration as she lowered her hand from her ear and focussed on separating the noises. "Ninja monks really like to gossip...I think I can hear someone nagging Bansai-san to take his medicine, and I can clearly hear what Kurenai-sensei is saying," they looked up collectively over at Kurenai's team and Sakura caught Kiba's brief glance before he smirked and looked away.

"Well done, Sakura. Now channel the chakra to slow the vibrations in your eardrum, focus on me and tell me what you can hear." It took a moment but she startled herself when she heard, clearly, the sound of a beating heart. "Sensei, I can hear your heartbeat!"

Kakashi nodded proudly, "Well done, Sakura-chan. Heartbeats are more on the low frequency end of sounds, around 50 hertz where it is at its loudest. As a medic, this skill would be useful to you if your hands are occupied healing and you don't have a stethoscope on hand. This skill is also useful for hunting, to tell if the target is truly dead or just faking it."

He motioned for her the cancel the channeling, "The only downside to trying to hear a heartbeat is that sometimes, you'll end up hearing all the other body sounds as well, like bowel movements. It takes time and practice to single out the one noise you're looking for among the cacophony of sound."

For the remainder of the evening the trio practiced channeling chakra to heighten their sense of smell and hearing. Tomorrow, they would hunt for the boars and conclude the mission.

x

"Hey guys, what do you call a group of boars?" Naruto chirped over the radio. Static sounded in his earpiece before Sakura's voice filtered through, "A sounder, or singular. Why?"

Naruto looked down from his place in the trees with a grinning Kiba beside him, "Well, I think we found the mother lode, guys." He flared his chakra for his teammates to pick up on and gave Kiba a thumbs up when the other teams sounded off that they were incoming.

Kiba peered down at the unsuspecting boars, "Too bad there's no gold or silver down there." The blond's eyebrows rose as he gave Kiba a cursory once-over, he always thought Kiba was more muscle than brain if his Academy scores were anything to go by.

"So, your sensei teach you anything awesome yet?" Kiba asked as they waited for their comrades to arrive. Naruto mulled over the question, trying to figure out what to say without giving it all away. But then again, it wasn't that hard.

"Nah," he rubbed his nose, "Kakashi-sensei's a stick in the mud; we've only done basic strength training and chakra control exercises. Not a single cool jutsu yet. How about your team and Kurenai-sensei?"

Kiba glanced down at Akamaru to make sure the pup wasn't going to go for the boars. He already saw the pup's drooling dripping. "Eh, more or less the same. We don't get to spend too much time with her because our mornings are taken up with Clan training and then we split the afternoon between team training or D-mission. At first we were a little behind but once our teamwork started pulling together, we focused more on taking missions. But seriously, I could do without them. Doing someone else's chore is not fun at all."

"I hear ya," Naruto nodded sagely as the others joined up with them. As planned, the group fanned out to circle the boars below. Hinata, Sasuke, Kiba, and Naruto walked down the trees, along the backs so they'd remain unseen by the boars. Shino released his kikaichu colony and sent them down to ground level with thin wires, commanding them to wrap around the perimeter of trees, creating a fence.

When everything was set up, Sakura signalled the others and she, along with Hinata and Sasuke began to weave signs to set up an area genjutsu. Luckily boars were simple creatures and easy to trap in an illusion. Sakura felt the genjutsu stick to the boars below. She scanned the amount of boars and grimaced when she spotted a group of piglets a little off-centre.

She wasn't a big fan of what was about to happen. Steeling her resolve, she gave the team a final signal before she leaned forward and fell off the tree's highest branch. Steeling her resolve, she landed a punch into the ground, destroying the earth. Kiba, Naruto, swooped in and jumped off the slabs of dirt, picking up the little piglets along the way, tossing them up to Sasuke and Hinata.

Sakura punched the ground a second time, but with earth-nature chakra instead of the destructive chakra. The ground softened and turned into putty mud. She jumped up and out of the crater and examined her handy work. All the boars and sows were at the bottom of the hole, covered in slabs of dirt here and there, alive and unconscious. Shino recalled his colony as Naruto took care of dismantling the wires.

Kiba and Hinata stood a fair bit away from the crater's edge, the piglets sleeping at their feet or held in their arms. Hinata looked around, "Hm, there's one missing. I'm pretty sure there were ten of them." Kiba counted the numbers himself and looked behind him, "Akamaru, drop it! That little piggy is not dinner!" Akamaru whined before opening his jaw and dropping the runt of a piglet on to the ground.

Kakashi, Kurenai and two ninja monks chose that moment to make their appearance at the other end of the crater's edge. Kurenai and the monks peered over the edge at the hogs and the damage down. Kakashi beamed with pride at the slightly pale look on Kurenai's face, "Well done, Sakura-chan!" he waved to the pink-haired girl on the other side.

Sakura nodded in appreciation and waited as the adults walked over to join them. "Let's leave the rest up to Go-san and Fu-san. They'll have the hogs and piglets relocated to the another section of the forest far away from the Fire Temple. That way the ecosystem won't be disrupted. Job well done Team Seven and Team Eight. Let's head back to the temple and report to Chiriku-san before heading home."

The band of Konoha ninja made their way back to the temple and summarized the events to Chiriku. The man smiled and thanked the genin for a job well done. He dismissed them so they could pack up their belongings and prepare for the trip home. At the gate where the groups bid each other farewell, Chiriku beckoned Sakura over.

"Sakura-kun, you are Haruno Kizashi's daughter, correct?" the bald man asked. Sakura nodded, "Yes, sir, he is. How do you know my father?" Chiriku merely chuckled and scratched the back of his head, a gesture she sees often in her father, "If I were to tell that story, you would have to stay back another night or two. We'll save that for another time. But could you please help me deliver something to your father?"

Chiriku gestured to the package that rested beside him on the ground. It was rectangular and wrapped in cloth. Sakura nodded and tried to lift the package, but it wouldn't budge. "Ah, my apologies, there are certain seals to prevent it from being easily carried away. It is a precious artifact that your father previously left in my care. But it's time to return it to its rightful place. Here, pull out a storage scroll and we'll seal it inside."

Sakura did as instructed and pulled out a scroll, unfurling it to the storage seal. Chiriku easily lifted the package and placed it on top of the seal. With a hand sign, the package was sealed. She rolled the scroll back up and pocketed it her back pouch. Chiriku smiled, "Please give your father my regards, Sakura-kun. Next time we meet, I'm sure you and your team will have matured more. Best of luck to you all in the upcoming exams."

Sakura bowed respectfully and thanked him before returning to her team's side. The group set off after exchanging farewells. It was time to go home.

x

After their first C-rank mission with Kurenai's team, Kakashi decided to push his cute little genin through the wringer as soon as they signed back into the village. The teams bid farewells and Team Seven watched as Team Eight walked down the road into the village before collectively turning to Kakashi. The scarecrow merely offered the trio and closed-eye smile before forming the familiar seal and increasing all of their weights by another ten pounds, and Naruto an extra ten pounds in the vest.

Out of reflex their shoulders hunched forward and Naruto might have leaned forward entirely before all three of them recovered and stood straight but relaxed. "Kakashi-sensei, if it wasn't an easy trip home, I would almost cry mercy. Thank you for increasing the weight after we got back," Sakura commented idly as she tested out moving with the increased heaviness to her limbs.

"You're most welcome, Sakura," Kakashi continued to smile as he glanced between his students. "All right then, the three of you are dismissed, I will submit the report to the Hokage with Kurenai-sensei later. But before you go, I will give one last set of instructions," he tapped his chin in thought.

"Ah, yes, this will probably do. The three of you will walk home, but on the Naka River. I believe it runs through the Uchiha's quarters so that will be your first stop. If Mikoto-sama doesn't commandeer you lot for dinner, and you two choose to return to your own homes, then I want you to take the roofs or trees and jump all the way home, minimal chakra aid, okay?"

The trio nodded before bidding Kakashi farewell and heading for the Naka River. They jumped over the edge and landed on the surface of the water. The trio had already mastered water walking, but the increase in their weight made it a good exercise. They stuck to the side of the wall, walking inside the shaded area to reduce the chances of being noticed.

Eventually they sped of their pace to a light jog until Sakura decided to try something different. She channeled the chakra into her foot and changed the output a little and before she knew it, she was skating down the water. Sasuke and Naruto watched their friend skate around and do an eight-figure before looking back at them. "This is way more fun, you guys have to try it!" Sakura exclaimed with joy as she continued to skate down the river, leaving the boys behind.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks before they too applied a different output to their feet and started skating down the river to catch up with Sakura. It didn't take them long to reach her, and it took even less time to reach the Uchiha compound. When they neared the dock, Shisui was sitting along the edge. The older teen waved as the trio neared and hopped on to the dock.

"Fancy footwork there guys, you finally figured out how to skate on water I see," Shisui praised the trios as he got up to stand with them, "Just got back from a mission, Sasuke-chan?" Sasuke wanted to grumble at the unwarranted suffix, but decided to let it go, he wouldn't let his cousin ruin his good mood. "Yeah, Kakashi told us to come back by river," the raven replied. The group made their way up the steps and towards the residential units. Mikoto walked out the front door as the group neared the main house. She ushered them all inside and insisted that they all wash up and stay for dinner.

At the dinner table, Mikoto prepared quite the feast and the genin eagerly dug in. The monks knew how to cook, but Mikoto was (in their hearts and stomaches) the best cook in possibly all of Fire Country. The woman chuckled as the trio collectively asked for a second helping of rice. Fugaku and Itachi smirked from behind their own bowls, just as amused as the matriarch.

Itachi looked over at the genin, "How was your mission? Did Kakashi-san or the monks teach you three anything while you were there?" The trio began to summarize the events of their mission, highlighting the part where Kakashi taught them sense heightening with chakra. Fugaku nodded sagely, "He is teaching you three very well, rounding out your overall training while simultaneously putting focus on your individual assets."

Mikoto smiled with a bit of nostalgia as she gazed at Naruto for a moment longer, oh how proud Kushina would be if she could see her son now. When the matriarch found out about Naruto wanted to master the chakra chains, Mikoto and Fugaku stepped up to offer pointers on how to master the technique. After all she had witnessed her friend use it on more than one occasion, and Fugaku would loath to admit that he had been the receiving end of those same chains, but they were eager to help Naruto become as great, if not greater, than his parents.

"Kakashi said a lot of Uchiha members smell like cats," Sasuke inserted smoothly as he pushed more rice into his mouth and watched for his family's reaction. Fugaku looked at Sasuke before looking down at his haori. He would _not_ sniff himself in front of his family. He was not an Inuzuka. He looked at his eldest son and set him a deadpan, slightly pleading, look to satisfy Sasuke's curiosity. Mikoto saw the look and giggled quietly behind her cup of tea.

Itachi looked up from his fish and noticed Sasuke's expectant gaze. Apparently Shisui did too because the older teen slapped Itachi on the back, "Go on, your little brother needs you!" to which Sasuke muttered, "Shut up, Shisui."

Itachi finished his rice and set the bowl and chopsticks down. "If that is what Kakashi-san has said, then there might be some truth to it simply because of our connection to Neko-baa. Her supply store's biggest customer is the Uchiha Clan. Given that she lives with a lot of cats in an abandoned city, frequent enough visits would certainly make us smell like cats."

As the younger bunch finished their dinners, they excused themselves from the table and headed out into the yard where Itachi continued his explanation, "But if you three channel chakra to your noses now and smell me, you will notice that I smell slightly like cat, but another scent overpowers it. Can you tell what it is?" He waited as the trio did as instructed and inhaled.

Itachi smelled particularly...avian. Not quite like chicken, but...

The teen in question noticed the similar looks on the genins' faces, "That is correct, what you three just smelled is the scent of crows. And that is because I can summon them." He looked up into the tree where one crow was perched on the branch, the others followed the motion and saw the crow flaps its wings before resettling in a comfortable position. Itachi preferred to have one always watching the house to make sure his family was safe.

"Now then," Shisui took the chance to intervene as he raked his gaze up and down the genin, "Kakashi's got you three on weights, doesn't he?" The trio nodded and Naruto helpfully mentioned that the scarecrow increased the weight as soon as they made it through the gate. Shisui nodded to himself and decided to voice his plan, because it was a great one, "How about I teach you guys the shushin tehcnique?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, "But we already learned it." Shisui wagged a finger at the blond, "Uh-uh, but have you mastered it? Maximized the potential of the jutsu to your advantage?"

Sasuke glanced at the blond before looking at Shisui's profile, "Shisui is known as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' Naruto. If he's offering to teach us the one skill he's known for, we should accept it." The older boy deflated slightly at that, "Oh, Sasuke-chan, you make it sound like it's the only thing I'm good at!"

The Uchiha brothers cast equally doubtful looks at their older cousin.

Shisui clutched his hand over his heart dramatically before turning to wrap an arm around Sakura's shoulder, "You're the only who doesn't doubt me, right, Sakura-chan?" The pinkette pinched the back of Shisui's hand, and the boy yelped and released the girl. She might have used a little chakra.

"Shisui-san, while you may continue being dramatic, you did offer to teach us your... favoured technique, and we as a team humbly accept your tutelage." She bowed politely towards her senior.

The older boy beamed and pushed back his sleeves, "All right you three. I'm going to break down the technique for you guys before building it back up, so listen closely!"

x

 **Author's Note:**

Where the heck have I been for the past two months? Long story short: life happened. I procrastinated with this chapter so it's not very well written. I didn't want to do the wave one so soon, you know. Had a bit of a scare a few weeks ago with my grandmother. We thought she was going to have a stroke but it was just ridiculously high blood pressure so we're all keeping an eye out for her. I'm fixing up the house a bit. Here and there. Mother's day at work and then in two weeks, Father's Day. Busy busy. I'm trying hard to keep this thing going. I don't want to abandon it./p


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning:** Dang it, I'm doing the Wave arc. Also poorly written canon-esque fight scenes.

Chapter 11

Sakura woke up early one morning and decided to get her laps in while she waited for the boys to get out of bed and join her. By her estimate, it would take another hour or so. She ran her laps quietly around the village, waving to Rock Lee and Gai as they dashed past her more than once.

When she arrived at the familiar steps, she ascended past the fork and all the way up the main temple where her father sat outside the prayer hall. She approached the man and bowed politely, "Good morning, dad." Kizashi snapped out of his thoughts and greeted his daughter in return, "Morning, Sakura-chan! You're up earlier than usual, did something keep you up?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, nothing like that, I slept quite well." And as if she suddenly remembered something, "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into her back pouch and pulled out a scroll, handing it to her father. "Chiriku-sama from the Fire Temple sends you his regards, he says he's returning something."

Recognition lit in the man's eyes. "Ah, yes! I remember now, let's see here..." He took the scroll and walked past Sakura until he was near the entrance. He opened it to reveal the seal and then unsealed the package from within. The opened the package for yet another seal and undid that one, releasing a plume of smoke. When it cleared, two komainu statues stood on top of the scrolls.

They stood tall, their heads angled forward yet slightly down as if watching all those that passed by. They were intricately carved like most temple statues and Sakura found her breath being taken away by its beauty. Kizashi smiled as he appraised the statues, "As magnificent as I remember them to be," he glanced at Sakura, "Why don't you help me place them by the entrance and then we'll clean them while we wait for the boys to show up, hm?"

Sakura approached the statues and helped her father move the one with the closed mouth. Using her chakra-enhanced strength, they moved the statues into the correct place and Kizashi walked over with a bucket of water and two cloths, one for each of them. She dipped her hand into the bucket and spread her chakra through the water. Pulling her hand out, she brought the water with it.

Testing out the new trick, she imagine her chakra flowing like a snake and she watched as the water's shape changed to match the new form. She shot the water forward as if from a gushing hose, wrapping the water around the statue and increasing the pressure just enough to make the dust and leftover grime lift from the statue.

Kizashi watched, amazed and clapped his hands, "Excellent work my dear!" Sakura startled and the water dropped to the ground with a splash. "Whoops," her father scratched the back of his head. The pair laughed it off, "Certainly something you should practice, Sakura." Her father grabbed the bucket and went to fetch more water for her to try again.

The pair managed to clean both statues by the time the boys emerged at the top of the steps, not even the slightest bit out of breath. The komainu were rotated until they were perfectly aligned and the trio dashed back down the steps to head towards the dojo. Kizashi watched them run down the steps and shouted, "If you decide to use chakra, go down the other side of the mountain!" Just for the heck of it.

x

"Anmitsu or dango?"

"How about shaved ice?" Sakura pointed to the store's ad banner, "They're having a sale. Buy two get the third one free." The boys agreed and the trio walked up to the counter to place their order.

When they got their change back, none were too surprised by the burst of smoke behind them followed up their sensei's voice filtering through, "Now now, leaving your sensei out of the loop isn't very nice is it? You three make me feel so lonely."

The boys side-eyed Kakashi and Sasuke was the only one to reply, "So many things we could say, but we won't." Anything that could be said... would probably be used against them.

"We know a trap when we see one," Naruto grinned. No way was the older man going to sucker the three of them into buying him a cone.

"What have you got for us, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Direct and too to the point, don't let the man get 'lost on the road of life'.

Kakashi clutched the vest fabric above his heart, "Oh how you three wound me!" He glanced at his cute genin, whom all looked incredibly nonplussed by his actions and sighed. "Seriously though, you three are picking up the wrong coping mechanisms from Tenzou."

Sakura smirked, "So you admit prolonged exposure to you requires a coping mechanism."

Kakashi ruffled her hair for the heck of it, "Ha ha. That's enough sass for now," and pulled out three books from his back pocket, all a little rough around the edges but otherwise in good condition.

Sasuke eyed the books skeptically, "If that's-"

Kakashi interrupted the boy quickly, "No! No, it's not my preferred reading material. I don't want to die before the days over at the hands of either of your mothers, thank you." Sakura and Naruto reached out and wiggled their fingers in a beckoning sign. The man handed the books out.

She flipped the book over and realized that it was not labelled and entirely nondescript. The backing and cover was a plain material, nothing too fancy but at least protected with wax of some sort to keep it waterproof. It was small enough, smaller than Kakashi's books but thick enough to open with one hand.

Sasuke was the first to open his, and as he flipped through the pages, he came to a conclusion, "It's a bingo book."

Naruto started flipping through his copy and so did Sakura. She scanned the first few pages. Names, pictures, known skills and other attributes and a bounty. She even came across some that had at the top, 'Flee on Sight'. Her heart began to beat a little faster at the sudden influx of information on all these dangerous individuals.

"Why... why are you giving these to us?" she asked.

Kakashi sat down beside them with a plate of dango as they set the books down and enjoyed their ice treats. "To be honest, I really had to think this through. Obviously the newest versions are only handed out to ANBU and jounin rank ninja, and the books always get refreshed every three months. I had to reason with the Hokage to get a few extra copies and I'm glad he was willing to release them to me.

"I want you three to be prepared from here on out. Now that you'll be taking more C-rank missions and soon the Chunin Exams. It means that you will be put into more dangerous situations and the level of danger will only continue to escalate from this point on, whether you pass the exams or not.

"As you three know," Kakashi glanced quickly at the people working inside the stall before looking back at the trio, "with Naruto's 'condition', it's basically having a giant target painted on his back, on top of his head, all over him to be honest. Because what he has is power, and there's bound to be people who want to use it for all the wrong reasons. Chances are, those people are in the book.

"So I want you three to go through this book and start memorizing them. Especially the flee on sight ones. Sakura and Sasuke I know you two won't have trouble memorizing it, but help Naruto out. You guys might want to find a secluded spot in the training grounds and henge into the pictures to help each other study. Actually, using the shadow clones might help even more."

Kakashi had at some point finished his dango and set the plate down, "With the exams, Konoha will open her gates and welcome foreign ninja during the testing period. While security will be increased and such, there's still a chance something will go wrong."

He caught all three of them by the eye, "You three are special, and in the shinobi world, it just means a whole lot of danger."

x

Mebuki sat on the back porch, knitting away at a dark green scarf. The other day she had opened the storage room and found an old, old package with dark red in it. It brought back an equally old yet fond memory with it. Mebuki couldn't help but smile as the memory replayed in her mind again at the thought of it.

Kushina had been newly pregnant when Mebuki was just about ready to pop. Before that the redhead and passed by and seen Mebuki knitting away, full with child. She remembers Kushina rushing over and clasping her hands, asking the blond to teach her how to knit.

Together they spent a whole week in Mebuki's back porch, where she sat now, teaching the hot-tempered redhead how to knit a scarf. The end product of the lessons was a dark red scarf with a row missing here, or an extra stitch there. It was a little shorter than most scarves too.

An idea came to her, then. She wanted knit scarves for the rest of team seven. Surely it would come in handy for winter, or if they even went on a mission to the north.

She continued to knit and sip at some tea when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Mom, I'm heading out to the Hokage Tower, do you want me to bring anything back for dinner?" Sakura said as she passed by into the kitchen, opening the fridge and packing away some snacks for later.

Mebuki looked up and caught sight of a white wolf in the yard. She blinked and it was gone.

"Actually dear, I think I'll go with you," the woman rose from her seat and walked inside, depositing the knitting needles and bundle of yarn on the couch. Sakura poked her head out from the refrigerator, "To the Hokage Tower? What for, Mom?"

Mebuki helped her daughter pack away everything that she needed before ushering the girl to the door and slipping her sandals, "Just feel like it. The Mission Assignment Desk, was it?" Sakura reluctantly nodded. Although her mother requested shinobi assistance for her business trips, it was very rare for her to personally go out of her way to do so. Sakura knew her mother had at least one assistant. She shrugged her shoulders and decided it wasn't worth questioning.

The mother-daughter duo made their way to the tower, making light conversation along the way. Outside the building, Sakura walked ahead to join up with the boys. After greeting Sakura's mom properly, the group made their way inside and up to the proper room.

"Oh, good morning Team Seven!" Iruka greeted the genin as they walked towards the desk, "Let's see what we have for you today..." he began to shuffle through the papers and scanning the D-rank list. Sarutobi waved his hand to catch the chuunin's attention, "Actually, I already have something in mind."

Sarutobi picked up the C-rank list and glanced at it to find the appropriate mission. "In light of your recent success with your first C-rank," Sarutobi picked up a stack of papers to his left, "And the progress reports from Kakashi on your training," he looked at the trio, "I think your team will handle this next C-rank mission just fine. You'll be going on bodyguard duty."

Hiruzen looked beyond them at the closed door, "Would you mind joining us?" he called out. The door behind the genin swung open and a man with a greying beard shuffled in, taking a swig from his bottle. He looked entirely unimpressed, "What the heck, it's just a bunch of brats!"

Team Seven was equally unimpressed with their potential client.

"Particularly that midget in the middle. You sure you're a ninja?" the drunk man asked.

Now Team Seven was vary degrees of angry, repulsed, and unimpressed.

Kakashi quietly joined them and observed his genin, proud when they chose not to act on their juvenile desire to pummel the man.

"I'm Tazuna, a veteran bridge builder, you'll be guarding me with your life and limbs until I return to the Land of Waves and complete my bridge."

Sakura grimaced, something about this smelled funny. And it wasn't just the old man's cheap sake. She glanced at Sasuke and knew he thought the same. Discretely nodding to each other, Sasuke heightened his senses to figure out what was really going on while Sakura continued to observe. Naruto kept an eye on the man just in case he decided to try something, like throw his sake bottle.

Sakura realized it soon enough, "You're lying."

Hiruzen and Iruka blinked from their seats, "What was that Sakura-kun?" the Hokage asked.

Sakura turned and bowed respectfully to their leader, "Hokage-sama, I believe Tazuna-san is lying about the parameters of his mission."

Iruka cocked his head, utterly confused as he pulled up the mission request scroll, handwritten by Tazuna and scanned the document. Kakashi let a small smile slip, not that anyone would have noticed anyways, and nodded to the pinkette. "What's you're reasoning, Sakura-chan?"

She side-eyed her sensei for using the suffix on her in front of the Hokage before turning back to face Tazuna. "To start with, he cannot afford the mission. Or to be more specific, he cannot afford to request an A or B-rank mission, and most likely barely managed to scrape enough for a C-rank. His attire and trade suggests that income is limited and dependent entirely on how fast and how many bridges he can build," Sakura explained as she glanced briefly at her mother, standing off to the side. The woman nodded, urging her daughter to continue.

"The Land of Waves is also an isolated nation of islands. If you're a bridge builder, the only one you'd be building is one that connects to the mainland. But the question is why, when the Land of Waves relies of shipping for commerce and trade. The only reason to build a bridge is to oppose the shipping method, or rather the top brass running the shipping. A kind of protest if you will.

"Your appearance suggests nothing of value, so bandits are less likely to mug you. So why else would you need an escort unless you fear you're going to be attacked... perhaps by thugs hired by the opposition?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, "Or ninja from another village. Or mercenaries, or rogue ninja... anyone that takes coin." The trio watched as Tazuna gulped and the bottle hung limp in his hands. Iruka rose from his seat in alarm, "Is this true Tazuna-san!?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the bridge builder. "Your heartbeat can increase when you're lying, but it can also increase or become erratic under stressful situations... such as when you're trying to mislead one of the five great shinobi villages to accept your request. You're either drinking that sake because you like it, it's going to numb your nerves, or because alcohol also makes the heartbeat irregular."

Tazuna heaved a heavy sigh, slumping against the wall and sliding to the floor. "You're right. I can't afford better protection, I could barely afford this C-rank as it was! My homeland is slowly being destroyed, the people in a state of perpetual poverty. All because of that wretched sack of flesh, Gato!"

"But I can't let it end like this, not just for my daughter and grandson, but for everyone living on that island. I must complete the bridge, I want to free my homeland from that man's clutches!"

Mebuki perked up at the mention of this, "Well it seems like fate has brought us together, Tazuna-san." The bridge builder looked up at the blond woman, slightly bewildered. Mebuki smiled and caught the attention of everyone in the room, "As it turns out, your current dilemma is of interest to me."

Mebuki became all business. "As the head of the Haruno Clan's merchant business, I can admit Gato has been a thorn in our side for some time now, what with his monopoly of the Land of Waves and the shipping to and from that region in general. His tax and fees on our goods shipping into the Land of Waves is ridiculous, but I was unaware of how far his reign of terror had gone."

The Haruno matriarch turned to Hiruzen, "Esteemed Hokage, I would like to propose a plan if I may." Sarutobi merely nodded, the woman was intelligent. Not quite like a Nara, but when she spoke at council meetings, the votes were always in her favour.

"I would like to request a separate mission of B or A-rank to... deal with Gato. He doesn't need to be dead, but the ultimate goal will be to eradicate him and remove his influence from the Land of Waves. I would like to also use Tazuna-san and Team Seven, if they are willing, to act as bait to draw Gato out, as I'm sure he'll be after the bridge builder," Mebuki explained.

Sarutobi nodded and looked at Team Seven whom all responded positively to the plan. Tazuna hung his head, feeling slightly relieved but also slightly defeated. The Hokage looked around the room and turned back to Mebuki, "I suppose you already know who you want to hire for this mission?"

"Oh yes," Mebuki continued to smile, happy all the pieces were falling into place, "of course."

x

"Oh, Raidou-kun! Are you here for the Waves mission?" Kakashi greeted as he walked up with his team and Tazuna. The scarred man turned around from talking to the guards and faced the newcomers. "Yes I am, reporting for duty," Raidou replied cheekily.

"Glad to have you on board," Kakashi introduced Tazuna to Raidou, "Team Seven's client for the mission. Let's get going then." The group set out at a leisurely pace. Eventually they came across a small puddle on the ground.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi who merely smiled and pretended nothing was wrong. She turned and signalled the boys who also noticed the puddle and continued to play dumb. When they walked further away from it, she felt a sudden spike in foreign chakra. At the sound of rustling chains, the genin turned as Kakashi was being wrapped in them.

"What!?" the group shouted to one varying degree or another as the Demon Brothers began their slaughter, "The first one!" they tightened their chain and sliced Kakashi to ribbons. Tazuna and Naruto screamed, appropriately horrified. The Demon Brothers flash-stepped behind Raidou, claiming their second victim.

Sakura pulled weapons from her pouch and flung it at the chains, pinning it to the tree behind them. Gozu tried to yank free and failed, "It won't come off!" Sasuke and Naruto slid into either brother's personal space and kicked upwards at their chins and then rounded to punch them in the gut before grabbing their free arm, twisting and kicking them away from the tree causing the chain to break off their gauntlets.

The brothers regained their footing midway and rounded, running a wider circle to pincer attack the others. Gozu made his way to the bridge builder. "Tazuna-san, stay back!" Sakura shouted as she pushed him over to Raidou. The tokujo grabbed the client by the shirt and jumped to safety. She grinned as Gozu closed in, "There's a reason you couldn't yank the chain free!" she punched the ground and the earth shook as it shattered.

Kakashi reappeared at the moment with an unconscious Meizu head-locked in one arm, and caught the tripped up Gozu in another headlock. Naruto halted in his tracks, "Kakashi-sensei, why'd you have to show off! I was totally going to knock him out!"

Kakashi gave his students his one-eye smile, "Maa, maa. Just this once. You three will get plenty of chances to show off from here one out, I assure you." He dropped the brothers to the ground and pulled out some rope, "Now that our theory has been more or less confirmed."

Raidou and Tazuna surveyed the destruction from the safety of the trees. _No matter how many times I've seen it, it's still a little bizarre coming from a pink-haired girl._

Naruto took the rope from him and began tying up the rogues, "I've been trying out these new knot combinations..."

Sasuke took a good look at their faces and pulled out the little black book. Flipping it to somewhere in the middle, he stopped at the appropriate page, "They're Gozu and Meizu, known as the Demon Brothers."

Kakashi nodded, "Well done Sasuke, chuunin from Kirigakure." The scarecrow sighed, "At least we have an idea of who we might be up against." He glanced at the sky before looking back the Kiri ninja. "Let's just knock them out and leave them here. They're not worthy to be chuunin if they can't free themselves eventually. If not, somebody else will take care of them probably."

The group continued on the path and Naruto brought up an interesting point, "Hey Kakashi-sensei, if they're listed in the bingo book, does that make them missing-nin? Because the book is kind of like a bounty list too right?"

Kakashi glanced at the sky before looking ahead where Naruto and Sakura walked in front of him. "Well, the bingo book compiled by the Hokage lists not just missing-nin but highly ranked ninja from other villages as well. Anybody we might ever have a chance of coming across in a mission either as opposing sides like just now, or by random. Usually missing-nin means they've abandoned their village with no intention of returning. To symbolize it, they cross out the emblem on their forehead protector.

"Sometimes they won't scratch it out. Sometimes, leaving a village doesn't make you a missing-nin, such as Tsunade-sama. She withdrew from ninja duties after the second war and left the village but is not considered a missing-nin. To better understand the current situation though, we should consider what we know about Kirigakure."

They could see the boat and dock up ahead. Naruto was tempted to quicken his pace, "Kirigakure means shinobi with water jutsu... and Sakura made me read a book on this, what was it again...? Oh yeah! The Seven Swordsmen!"

Sasuke continued, "Some of them are in the book. So they're like, what, the greatest sword users in Kiri?" Kakashi nodded in confirmation, "That is correct, they are an organization consisting of seven members of Kiri's best sword users. The assumption that each member carries a different sword each with it's own...specialty, so to speak."

Sakura decided to throw in her two cents, "Besides the specific or oddly designed blades, the members can also be recognized by their sharpened teeth."

Kakashi perked at this, "And how would you know that Sakura-chan?"

The pinkette flushed slightly, "When I was younger, I went on a trip with my mother. She had hired Genma-san and Hayate-san as our escort and they were kind enough to entertain me with stories while we travelled. They should be around your age, actually. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

Kakashi chuckled, "I have, we were in the same year after all. Raidou-kun back there is actually a long term partner of Genma's."

Naruto whipped his head around, "Long term partner!?"

Sasuke whacked the blond in the back of the head when Raidou start waving his hands to refute the statement, "Stop saying such misleading things Kakashi! Rinka would bash both our heads in if she heard you!" he huffed and tried to calm down.

The group came to a halt near the boat. Tazuna looked around and spotted the fisherman lying in the shade of the trees. "Hey, wake up, we're here!"

The fisherman jolted awake and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Glad you made it here in one piece Tazuna!" he got up and walked over the group, "We're going to have to wait till sundown, that's when the fog rolls in and we can get to the island better undetected that way."

The group waited until sundown before boarding the boat. The fisherman started the motor and they were off, when the island came into sight and the fog started rolling in, he cut the engine and started rowing instead. "You're all going to have to be real quiet now."

Sasuke had a sudden thought, "Why is Gato so invested in this place anyways?"

Sakura surveyed the surroundings, she didn't feel at ease being surrounded by open water and mist. She glanced back at Sasuke before returning to observe the water, "My mother told me before we left that Gato of Gato Compay is a shipping magnate. Being on an island where shipping goods in and out as a way of life is advantageous especially if he can monopolize it all. But he's one of the world's richest men, so why here?"

Naruto, "Your mom thinks there's more to the story." She nodded in response, "She believes he's got a hand dipped underground; drugs, contraband, black market, gangs and criminals. Even in the legit business circle he's known for being underhanded and dirty. He's crushed a few corporations and minor nations."

The fisherman nodded, "You are very correct, child. He's as shady as it gets."

The boat continued to move parallel to the unfinished bridge as the fisherman continued, "About a year ago he showed up with his thugs and before anyone realized it he took control of everything. Right about now the only thing he fears the most is the completion of the bridge."

Tazuna sighed heavily, "And because I am the one in charge of building and finishing it, he's set his sight on me, or more specifically removing me."

The fisherman guided the boat through the tunnel that opened up to a clear sky. He dropped them off at the docks and bid them farewell. The group continued on their path to Tazuna's house. Sasuke rubbed his nose, _Visitors_. He inhaled sharply and raised his head up, _One_ , before dropping his head in a sneeze, _Two_.

Naruto was the first to shout, "Down!" and everyone dropped the ground as a giant broadsword cut through the air and lodged itself blade first into a tree. The owner of the sword flash-stepped to stand on its hilt. Kakashi blinked, recognizing the other man, "Momochi Zabuza, missing-nin from Kirigakure."

Sakura mumbled, reciting what she read in the book, "Demon of the Mist."

The trio automatically fell into a defensive triangle formation around Tazuna as Raidou stepped forward and Kakashi lifted his forehead protector to reveal his sharingan, "I have a feeling I might need this."

"There used to be information on you in the bingo book I carried, Copy Ninja Kakashi. I don't know how good you are," the swordsman glanced at Raidou, "But you two better at least put up a decent fight." And then the mist rolled in thicker than before. "And then it's off with the bridge builder's head," he sneered, "That must be taken care as soon as possible." He kicked off the tree taking the sword with him.

Landing on the water, he formed a hand seal, "Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu" and disappeared.

Raidou turned around to be back to back with Kakashi, weapon at the ready, "What's the ex-ANBU silent killer doing all the way out here?" The mist continued to thicken until they could barely see anything but the person next to them. The genin had long since ago dropped their chakra signature to that of insects. Kakashi spiked his chakra and flooded the area with his killing intent. He looked back at his students, "Don't worry, I won't let any you get killed."

"We'll have to see about that," Zabuza claimed as he flash-stepped in the middle of the triangle formation, weapon at the ready. Sasuke had sensed the influx of chakra a moment sooner and was already weapon ready, he slammed the tanto into the enemy's gut, striking slightly upward. But instead of blood, water flowed out. The water clone fell apart as a second Zabuza appeared outside the formation and swung his sword to cut at the weakest link, Sakura.

Sakura dispelled as an earth clone, shocking the second Zabuza and delaying his reaction time when Kakashi got a kunai under the mist nin's throat, "Give up." Zabuza chuckled, "Your brats aren't all that useless after all, but I'm no fool either!" he dispelled as a water clone again and the real Zabuza shushin'd behind Kakashi, sword already swinging. Kakashi dodged and the sword dug into the ground but Zabuza let go of the handle and twisted, landing a kick that sent the scarecrow flying.

Zabuza twisted again grabbing his sword and ran after Kakashi as he landed in the water. The swordsman dove into the water like a fish just as Kakashi surfaced. Zabuza rose and trapped the other man in the Water Prison jutsu. With the field to his advantage, Zabuza rose two more water clones out of the water with the instruction to take out Raidou and the genin.

Raidou stepped in front of the teens, his own sword at the ready, "Kakashi and I would tell you three to run with Tazuna, given the circumstances, but I have a feeling you three are too stubborn to listen."

Naruto unsealed the explosive tags and armed himself with the staff, "Of course we are, we learn from the best after all!" Sakura pulled on her gloves and got into her favourite stance, "Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!" Sasuke grinned as he pulled out a second tanto, "Besides, Kakashi has to live long enough to see what we did to his room."

Kakashi spluttered inside the water prison, "How do you three know where I live!?"

Zabuza growled, "You Konoha nin always did have your heads in the clouds." The water clones marched forward, "You'll regret taking me lightly you know."

Naruto created four shadow clones to protect Tazuna. The first clone suddenly rushed at Raidou, engaging the man in a sword fight. The clone steadily increased the speed of his strikes, swinging the broadsword like it weighed nothing. The second one advanced on Sasuke and engaged the boy in a sword fight as well. Sasuke reinforced his weapons with chakra, but even the clone sword as slowly making a dent in his defence.

Sakura waited for the opportune moment before using the shushin to get close behind the clone attacking Raidou and dispelling it. Likewise, it wasn't long before Naruto managed to slap a tag on the one attacking Sasuke and detonating it.

Zabuza created a third clone and sent it forward while Naruto dispelled his four clones and Sasuke and Sakura returned to Tazuna's side.

"Smart, but not smart enough," the Zabuza clone advanced forward and this time Naruto generated dozens of shadow clones. It took the water clone a fair while to fend them off but was eventually taken out by an explosive tag. Sasuke pulled out a windmill shuriken and launched it at the original Zabuza who caught it only to be surprised by a second one in its shadow. He jumped up at the right time to dodge the second one, but was surprised again when the shadow weapon popped to reveal a Naruto clone.

The clone launched a kunai with an explosive tag attached at the original Zabuza, aiming for the man's shoulder. Zabuza pulled his arm out of the water prison in time to dodge the weapon but it managed to slice him before hitting the water. Enraged he turned, "You brat!"

Kakashi stopped the swordman from flinging the windmill with his armour plated glove. They jumped apart from each other and the silver-haired jounin was the first to speak, "Well done, my cute genin." He turned his attention back to problem at hand, "I think it's time to put an end to this don't you think?"

Zabuza couldn't agree more, he started forming hand seals and Kakashi copied him, both unleashing the Water Dragon jutsu as Naruto quickly clambered up and out of the water. The men advanced on other, fighting with weapons but neither gaining any ground over the other.

The others watched from the shore and Raidou was conflicted between staying with the client or going out there to back up Kakashi when he heard someone sigh behind him. He glanced back and noticed how unimpressed the genin looked.

Naruto let a yawn loose, "How much longer is this macho pissing contest going to go on for?" Sakura looked skyward before looking at the two fighting on the water, she narrowed her eyes as she observed Zabuza, "Any second now."

And as if on cue, Zabuza suddenly lost the grip on his sword and it fell into the water. The man inhaled sharply, "Wh-what did you do to me?" He gasped as if his lungs were drowning and he fell to his knees, the chakra fluctuating uncontrollably. Sakura shushin'd behind Kakashi and grabbed a hold of the sword before it sunk too far into the water. With her enhanced strength, she pulled it out like nothing and gestured towards Kakashi to carry Zabuza before the man lost all control and sunk.

They moved everyone back on to land and Kakashi laid the mist nin down carefully against a tree. "W-what," the mist-nin stuttered, garbling his speech. Sakura thrusted the sword into the ground until only the top of the hilt was above ground. Enforcing the area around it with chakra, she turned the ground around the sword into something stronger, like rock or concrete. No one was getting it out but her. She walked over to the mist-nin and gestured towards the cut Naruto's kunai gave the man. "Poison, if I don't administer the medicine soon, you might really die" she replied as she pulled her pack forward and rummaged for the antidote.

Before she could administer the medicine, two senbon flew out of nowhere and nailed Zabuza in the neck, splashing blood in her face. A masked mist nin revealed himself, "You're right, he did die." Kakashi moved forward to check the swordsman's pulse, "Well, he certainly is now." He turned to face the newcomer, "Judging by that mask, you must be Kiri's hunter nin." The hunter dipped his head politely, "You are correct."

He disappeared and reappeared near Zabuza in a whirlwind, "I suppose a part of your mission is over for now." He reached down to pick up the fallen swordsman.

Kakashi couldn't agree more and mirrored the boy's earlier statement, "You are correct. Naruto." The blond smirked and unleashed his chakra chains, surprising the hunter nin as it wrapped around him, binding him securely.

Sakura sighed mostly to herself as she flipped the fallen Zabuza over on to his stomach, none too gently, and removed the senbon, restoring his pulse. Then she popped the cap off the syringe and jabbed it into the man's back, injecting the serum to fix most of the damage. While he was still down for the count she injected medical chakra into the base of his neck, temporarily paralyzing him from the neck down.

"Now then, why don't we talk face to face like real men," Kakashi gave his one-eyed smile as he lifted the mask off the boy's face. "My, my. Sasuke-kun, we might have finally found someone prettier than your brother." The others came closer and the genin got closer to the mist boy to examine his face. All the attention caused the boy's face to heat.

"Aniki is still better," Sasuke muttered, not entirely sure what he was trying to defend.

"If he's going to be like your brother, Sasuke, this guy's going to be a pretty boy even when he's done growing. That's gotta suck, being baby-faced for life," Naruto chuckled at the potential misfortune of this stranger.

"All the good ones are either taken or, well..." Sakura glanced at Zabuza and let the rest of her sentence hang as she shrugged, causing the man to bristle and let loose a string of curses once he regained consciousness and realized what her words were implying.

Raidou and Tazuna continued to watched, slightly befuddled by the dynamics of Team Seven. Kakashi cleared his throat to get his students to sober up. "Now then, why don't we get down to business," he pulled Zabuza up so he was leaning against the tree again. "Did Gato hire you to kill Tazuna so he couldn't complete the bridge?"

Zabuza wasn't quite done fuming, so the boy answered instead, "Yes, he did. The bridge builder's life in exchange for a hefty sum. We literally cannot afford to fail our mission." Zabuza growled, "Haku!"

Sakura perked at this, "Why do you need the money so badly? The Land of Water should be teeming with mission opportunities of the bodyguard kind given the amount of shipping done in the region. Unless you are no longer affiliated with your village. But your headbands aren't crossed out."

Haku bared it all for them to hear, and Zabuza regretted taking in someone so untainted and innocent, and apparently honest to a fault, "We believe the Mizukage is being... manipulated. We staged a coup and assassination attempt on the Mizukage but failed and ultimately fled. Some followers came with us, like the Demon Brothers."

Kakashi managed to pieces the rest of the story together, "So you're running around as mercenaries, gathering funds for another attempt at a coup."

Zabuza glowered and caught Sakura's attention. He demanded to be freed from whatever she had done while she just observed him, as thoughts ran through her mind. Eventually she blinked, having arrived at a conclusion. She turned to Kakashi, and Zabuza bristled again at being outright ignored. Sasuke nudged the blond and told him quietly, "He kind of reminds me of Tora." Naruto had to try very hard to keep a lid of the snickers.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura caught the scarecrow's attention. She gave the man a smile that reminded him too much of the Haruno matriarch, "I have a plan."

x

 **Author's Note:**

Chapters are so much easier to write when you're just deviating from canon.


	12. Chapter 12

**Warning:** More canon-esque stuff, non-existent fight scenes.

Chapter 12

Two weeks had passed since they arrived at the Land of Waves. Team Seven took turns guarding Tazuna, as he and his team continued to build the bridge, and his family, Tsunami and Inari. When they had first been introduced to the man's daughter and grandson, the child has coldly told them to leave and not return lest they wanted to die a pointless death.

Unsettled by such a cold tone coming from a kid who couldn't be more than five, Sasuke had followed the boy up to his room only to hear the boy sobbing by the window. That evening they had learned the cause of Inari's pain. His father, not by blood, had been killed by Gato. Known as the Hero of this tiny town, he had chosen to stand by against Gato and was caught and tortured to death for it. With a public execution to get the point across, many had lost all hope that day.

 _He's worse than scum_ , Sakura thought as she remembered Tsunami's story of Kaiza, Gato will pay. She looked up from her thoughts just in time to catch another old man, asking to be let go from the team. Tazuna maintained his frown, but accepted that not everyone was willing to risk it all. He told his friend that he didn't have to come back tomorrow. Tazuna turned to her and gestured for her to get up, "Time to call it day, girl. We need to fetch ingredients for dinner."

Sakura got up and walked over to Sasuke, "We're heading into town to buy ingredients for dinner. We're done here for the day." The raven nodded before dispersing in a puff of smoke. It was actually Naruto's shadow clone, just like all the other members of Team Seven on the bridge besides her. All the other clones dispersed as well, except for the Naruto clone, and they followed the bridge builder into town.

By this point it was a common sight, emaciated villagers, homeless and begging for work or food. A little kid had caught the back of her shirt and together with Naruto they turned to study the child. Unable to bear the sight, Naruto pulled out some candy, knowing he could do little else to help the boy.

They followed Tazuna into the grocery store, and it was barren of goods except the one or two vegetables here, most of them beginning to rot. Sakura grimaced at the sight. She caught Tazuna's attention, "Let's go. We can hunt." Tazuna seemed relieved by the thought and the trio quickly made their way back.

True to their word, the genin had hunted for edible game and Sakura later unrolled a scroll to release produce, although it was all root vegetables. For some reason they held better in whatever space they went to when sealed.

When Tazuna's family retired for the evening, the genin stayed up in the living room, Kakashi keeping guard up on the roof. When the clock went past midnight, Raidou came in through the window and Kakashi appeared behind them. The genin looked at the tokujo expectantly, but he merely sighed, "Nothing's changed. Gato's still holed up at his headquarters."

Sakura frowned as she contemplated the situation, her fingers drumming on the table.

x

 _"The parameters of our mission don't necessary call for Gato's death, he and his company just need to be removed from the Land of Waves. The client would like to see the people restored to their former selves, before Gato turned this place into a hellhole," Sakura explained when she removed the medical chakra at the base of Zabuza's neck and they all managed to form a circle of sorts. The broadsword still stuck to the tip of the hilt in the ground behind her. Zabuza glanced at his buried weapon before glaring at the girl. She didn't respond, not stupid enough to provoke a dangerous shinobi and tentative ally._

 _"But all things considering, the man is filthy rich, literally. You two would benefit the most from his death, so I have a proposal. We make an example of Gato and his men, try to stir the villagers and get them to overcome their cowardice, and then you two can do what you want with him and take his money for your funds. I presume the only reason you haven't done so yet is to keep the attention of actual hunter-nin away from yourself."_

 _"And why should we play along and join you peace-loving brats?" Zabuza crossed his arms over his chest, completely unimpressed._

 _Sakura let out a sharp laugh, "Your words amuse me, Zabuza-san. How can we be peace-loving brats when our methods to achieve it are less than peaceful? I've merely figured out a potential solution to all of our problems, and all it needs is a little co-operation on your part, assuming my assumptions are correct."_

 _"Please, go on, Sakura-san," Haku gave his master a look before gesturing for her to explain herself further. Actually, the men on her side wanted to know what was running through her brain as well._

 _"My theory, based on history books, leads me to one conclusion. Your Mizukage, if not directly related to the jinchuuriki Kiri possesses, is the jinchuuriki himself. Or, herself."_

 _"Him," Haku supplied helpfully. Considering neither objected, then her first assumption is correct, the Mizukage is a container for a tailed beast. Just like Naruto._

 _"Then the next assumption of how your Mizukage is being manipulated, based on our own history and rumours suggests that he is under a genjutsu-" she started but was interrupted by Sasuke, "...created by the Sharingan." The Uchiha scowled when Zabuza cast Kakashi an accusatory look. The scarecrow have the kiri-nin a placating gesture._

 _"It is said that the Sharingan was capable of manipulating tailed beasts. Hence why there was a lot of suspicion over the Uchiha Clan after the Kyuubi attack. Even Kakashi-sensei has confirmed the abilities of the Sharingan on the tailed beasts," Sasuke commented as he remembered why they were placed together on a team with Naruto._

 _Sakura nodded, "If we created the opening you needed to take out Gatou without alerting Mist hunter-nin to your presence here, in exchange we want you to create the opening we need to motivate the villagers into saving themselves from Gatou. For this, you can take Gatou's funds, and then let's say, use it to hire someone with the Sharingan to see if my theory is correct."_

 _Zabuza grunted, "And why would I waste my coin to test our a child's theory?"_

 _Sakura grinned, "Because I can speak on behalf of our current client, that you would be rewarded enough to compensate and then some, the coin you would lose for this theory, if all works out well and she can get her foot in through the door, so to speak."_

 _Haku cocked his head to the side, "Your client is not the bridge builder?"_

 _Sakura grinned, "No, he isn't." Zabuza couldn't narrow his eyes any further, "Then who is?"_

 _Sakura's grinned turned cheshire, "Have you ever heard of the Haruno Clan?"_

x

Naruto went out one afternoon with Raidou and didn't return until dawn the next day. They had visited the weird hive building in the woods, and the blond might have gone a little overboard with the amount of explosive seals he drew all over the building in unnoticeable locations. That thing was ugly as hell, the boys had decided, and it needed to go, along with Gatou.

Just after they stepped in to the house, Raidou retired upstairs for some rest and Sasuke entered through the door. He held out an herb and laid it on the table as the rest of Team Seven gathered downstairs. "A message from Haku. It's time."

Tazuna and his family came down and Tsunami began to prepare breakfast. Inari took one look at Naruto's battered state and frustrated tears welled in his eyes. "Why- why do you have to try so hard?" he shouted, not understanding why these random strangers would go so far.

Naruto walked over to the younger boy and kneeled until he was eye-level. He clasped Inari's shoulders until he had eye contact. "Inari, if I wanted to be a do-nothing brat, I would have stayed at home. I would have cried and remained a crybaby forever. But nothing would have changed if I did. Just like now, nothing will change if everyone in this village continues to do nothing but cower.

"You can't save someone that won't save themselves. We could get rid of Gatou, but the villagers would still be miserable unless they stand up and take action to make change for themselves. He cannot control every aspect of who you are as a person." Understanding lit in Inari's eyes.

x

Gato was an annoying gnat, and Zabuza couldn't wait rid himself and the rest of the world of that thug. He crushed the radio, effectively cutting off Gato's rant and nodded to Haku, "It's time."

They jumped off the boat and hopped their way up to the bridge and began to knock out the workers. Tazuna heard the commotion and ran ahead of the ninja, halting at the sight, "What's going on here!" A thick fog began to roll in, covering the entire bridge.

 _Here we go._

x

Gato's henchmen, Zori and Waraji approached the front door of Tazuna's home with the intent to kidnap the woman and child. They pushed the hilt of their swords up from the scabbard as Zori reached for the knob but was repelled by an invisible force.

"Nice try, suckers," snickered to himself as he watched from the trees.

Waraji walked to the side and pulled his sword out and sliced at the wall. It fell apart like nothing.

 _Ah._

Naruto watched with his mouth agape as the duo waltzed in and pulled Tsunami out, she looked absolutely terrified. Inari ran out after them, screaming for them to let his mother go. "Inari," Tsunami screamed in desperation before Zori chopped her in the back of her neck with his hand, sending her falling unconscious to the ground. Inari yelled in rage and rushed at the pair, but they weren't afraid of a pipsqueak. They drew their swords and Waraji swung down on the boy.

Except it never made contact.

"What the-!" Inari gasped as the hulking figure of a man set down the boy and his unconscious mother a fair bit away from the swordsmen. The duo and Naruto gaped at the newest arrival. _This can't be possible!_

Kaiza set Inari on the floor as he stood to his full height and turned towards the swordsmen with a wide grin. He glanced back at Inari, "I told you it wasn't goodbye."

Naruto jumped at the realization that Inari's adoptive father was not dead in the slightest. He jumped again when he realized the fisherman was calling out to him, "You there!" The blond shushin'd so he was between Kaiza and Inari, facing the swordsmen as well. "Yes sir," he asked tentatively, about as sure of this Kaiza's identity as Inari was apparently.

"Take them to safety, won't you?" Kaiza asked without looking back this time. Naruto grinned as wide as Kaiza just did, "Already did, sir." Confused, Kaiza pivoted until he had eyes on both his family and the swordsmen, but it seemed the enemy was just as confused. They watched as the genjutsu placed over Tsunami and Inari broke to reveal two clones. The clones grinned before dispersing.

Kaiza pivoted again until he was facing Zori and Waraji before he let out a bark of laughter, "Amazing! I never thought I'd see the day a peace-loving brat would manage to outsmart me."

Naruto's face twisted into a strange expression, "Why does everyone keep calling us that! We're Konoha-nin, Ko-no-ha!" emphasizing the name of his home. Kaiza grinned morphed into a smirk, "If you ever get a chance to visit Kiri, you'd probably realize why." He turned to the swordsmen before drawing his own sword, a little shorter than their's, "Now then, let's get this over with shall we?"

With minimal effort, the man took out Zori and Waraji like easy fodder. He tied their hands behind their backs and chucked their swords into the water, threatening to push them in next if they didn't behave. Kaiza turned back to Naruto, "I trust you're going to disperse and the original will learn what's happened?"

The clone nodded, "Inari and Tsunami are in a safe place," he gave Kaiza a look, "You're going to have a lot of explaining to do when this is all said and done you know." Kaiza smiled, "Tsunami's going to give me an earful, I'm sure." The clone sighed, "I don't pity you in the slightest. The others are at the bridge with Tazuna-san," and dispersed.

Naruto looked up as the memories of his clones flooded into him. It took him a minute to sort through it all, but even he came to one startling conclusion. He whipped around to look at Inari and Tsunami, where they stood inside the fisherman's storage room. "You're not going to believe this!" he exclaimed and started telling them both what he had seen.

They couldn't believe it either. He created another clone and left it behind with the civilians as he headed for the bridge, "You know what you have to do now" he shouted to Inari as he rushed out of the house. Inari's eyes were bright, he did know what he had to do.

x

Naruto arrived on the bridge, the fog still thick, and made his way over to Sakura. Her hands were stuck in a hand seal, extending a genjutsu over the area to affect anyone watching it. "The best illusion is one that's closely tied to reality," Mikoto had once told her. Naruto exchanged nods with her and Tazuna before looking out as far as he could see.

"Like one macho pissing contest wasn't enough," he caught Kakashi and Zabuza duking it out on one side, "But you decided to script two?" and saw Haku fighting against Sasuke on the other side. Sakura could only offer her friend a shrug, "I'm a realist."

 _Says the girl that weaves illusions_ , Naruto thought, a little snippy.

Technically their were just pretending to fight, not really being serious about the blows, so that's why Sakura held an illusion in place to make it seem real to whatever goon Gato had watching them. Naruto brightened suddenly, "By the way, you guys will never guess what just happened!"

Sakura interrupted him as the ear piece of her radio buzzed. "Incoming!" Raidou announced through the channel, "And he's got lot more hired men than I originally thought." Sakura sucked her teeth in annoyance before shouting to the fighting pairs, "Here we go!" She dropped the illusion to conserve chakra, so Zabuza and Kakashi had to make their fight seem more realistic until they heard a sharp knock on the other end of the bridge.

The looked up as the fog cleared a little to reveal Gato with dozens of hired swords behind him. "The plan has changed a little," the short man crowed as he tapped his cane again, "No hard feelings Zabuza, but you're going to have to die here."

x

 _"Let's face the reality of the situation, Zabuza-san. Businessmen make deals," Sakura said as she walked over to the buried kubikiribochou._

 _"And dirty businessmen like to make deals only to renege or double-cross on their word. After all, word of mouth only means so much," she bent over at the waist and touched her palm to the ground, removing her chakra and the elemental chakra. She dug her hand into the earth like it was sand, and grabbed the broadsword by the hilt._

 _"Based on Gato's personality and business tactics, chances are, he's going to try to kill you first, and then Tazuna the next time we meet. So why fight us when you will no longer have a reason to?" She walked over to the swordsman and held the sword out, pointing down. He took the blade from her and swung it over his shoulder and back into the carrying belt._

 _"You peace-loving brats aren't as dumb as the other nations believe you're bred to be," Zabuza commented as he gave the slip of a girl a once-over. Pink hair, green eyes, pint-sized. Who knew Konoha bred wolves in sheep's clothing._

 _Sakura gave the man a worthy predatory grin, "I'll take that as a compliment."_

x

Zabuza gave Gato a bland look and sighed, "Let's get this done and over with." He gripped his sword and charged forward with incredible speed despite the heaviness of the blade. "Get him!" Gato shouted to the mercenaries as he slipped through them to get away. He was a businessman, not a fighter.

The thugs rushed forward, weapons at the ready, but Zabuza was ahead of the game. He slashed through the crowd like they were butter, blood spilling in the aftermath of each sweep. Some of the smarter ones on the outside lines avoided Zabuza altogether and went for the Konoha-nin and Haku. They defended themselves brilliantly, Haku taking down the bulkier ones with precise senbon strikes.

Three of the mercenaries managed to slip past the boys and rushed for Sakura and Tazuna. Gloves on and tanto at the ready, she parried the strikes of one while kicking and punching away the attempts of the second. They had managed to outnumber her because the third one feinted to her left and got into Tazuna's space. He thrust his sword upward into the bridge builder's chest but it never made contact, Tazuna had shushin'd behind his attacker and jabbed a senbon into the thug's neck. "What a waste of a senbon," Tazuna lamented as he took on one of Sakura's attackers.

That brought it down to a one on one between herself and the thug and he would not let up on his attacks. She had to resort to focusing on her tanto the block the strikes. She could break the floor because Tazuna had worked hard to build the bridge, and she could cast a genjutsu because she needed both hands. She felt like she was being backed into a corner.

The man raised his sword and swung it, Sakura read the strike and prepared to deflect it with her tanto but he changed directions last second and brought the sword into her open side. Damn it! she cursed as she shushin'd in desperation, landing behind her opponent and thrusting her fist forward blindly, straight into the thug's back, laced with medical chakra.

She pulled her fist back to her side and stepped back when her opponent had stilled completely from the impact. She had no idea what she had done to him, the adrenaline thrumming in her veins overrode all her senses and she had acted on instinct. The instinct to survive.

Tazuna handled his second opponent before looking over to her to see how she was doing. When he saw the other two just standing there, he gingerly walked over to face the third thug and he almost wanted to vomit at the sight. The man's skin on his exposed chest had gone completely black, blood leaking out from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. He stepped back quickly as the body dropped to the ground and convulsed for a good minute before it stilled.

The bridge builder looked over at the girl, a brief flash of horror on both their faces. He regained his composure and walked over to her and pulled her into a fierce hug, her face crushed against his chest. Kids shouldn't have to witness death, even if it was by their own hands.

"...is he dead?" she croaked as she felt her throat closing as the adrenaline began to leave her. Tazuna merely responded by hugging her more fiercely in a vain attempt to shield her from the view behind them.

Meanwhile the fighting continued up ahead, Kakashi joining the fray to cover Zabuza's back. The Kiri-nin recognized the scarecrow's efforts and continued moving ahead, chasing after Gato. The stub of a man made the mistake of turning around to look behind him. Zabuza closed in cleaved the dirty dealer from the side with the kubikiribochou. With a quick twist, he pulled the sword all the way through, slicing Gato in half.

Everybody stilled for a moment to witness the death of the despicable man before the hired swords rounded on the ninja again, "Damn you shinobi! We hadn't even received the other half of our pay yet," the one closest to them said as he banged the end of his staff on the floor.

His smile turned sleazy, "Guess we'll pillage the village for the goods and the women before emptying that geezer's vaults." He swung his staff forward, "Get 'em!" And the remaining hired swords rushed at them again. They didn't get very far though cause an arrow shot out and stopped them in their tracks.

Sasuke turned around and saw the gathered villagers with a little boy at the front, wielding a crossbow, "Inari!"

The fisherman that brought them here raised his voice loud enough to be heard, "Any enemies that dare set foot on our island again, won't be allowed to live!" The villages rallied a collective cheer to that as they raised their tools as weapons of choice. Inari smirked, "Heroes always arrive late on the scene!"

"Well said my son!" Kaiza boomed as he dropped from the sky and landed in front of the villagers. Many gasped at the sight of a man they had thought long dead. He craned his neck to look back at the boy, "I told you it wasn't goodbye!"

Naruto, amped up by the arrival of the villagers turned to mercenaries with his most familiar hand seal, "Guess I'll help out too!" and created a dozen of clones. Kakashi decided to join in on the bluff, "Shadow Clone jutsu!"

The hired swords balked at the army of clones and high-tailed it for Gato's ship, clambering over each other to get away. Inari ran to edge and watched the hired swords panic in their escape, "We did it!" he shouted. The villagers cheered.

Tsunami walked to her supposedly deceased husband and narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips, "You have a mighty lot of explaining to do, mister." Kaiza fought the urge to flee as he laughed nervously and looked over towards the Konoha ninja and Tazuna, "I would say the same for you guys." Tazuna released Sakura from his hold and handed her over to Kakashi, cocking his head to the dead body on the ground. Kakashi's eye widened as the implication set in. He got down to her eye level and tried to bring her to attention.

x

 _I killed someone._ Her body started to shake from the knees up.

 _I killed a man._ Her mind painted the picture of what she had done to him.

 _I killed another human being._ Black skin, blood pouring from every orifice.

 _What if he had family. What if he had love ones? A mother, father, son or daughter? Sister, brother?_ With medical chakra that she had acquired to save lives.

 _What have I done?_ With her own hands, she took a life.

 _What have I done?_ And it would happen again, and again.

x

Nothing was working, Kakashi grimaced as he looked into her eyes, glazed over, stuck in her own mind. He raised his hand and apologized quickly to her mother before slapping her across the face. It served its purpose and she came to with a snap, "...Ow." Just registering the pain. Kakashi gave the girl a stern look, "I know you've just made your first kill, but right now, you need to focus on the mission, remember? We will talk about this tonight. You're more level-headed and professional than this, or was I wrong?"

Sakura looked up quickly and blinked before nodding. Now wasn't the time or place for a breakdown. She was a shinobi, and personal matters would have to wait. She shoved all the negativity into a tiny little box in her mind and put it away. Just like she always did when she was younger.

Reassured that she had regained her composure Kakashi patted her on the head and stood to his full height, ushering her back towards the others. Kaiza smiled in understanding what had occurred to the young girl before looking between Kakashi and Tazuna, "Care to explain?"

Tazuna blinked, surprised that the newcomer could see through his disguise right off the bat. "Well, now that Gato's no longer a problem, I guess it's okay," Tazuna said as he shrugged and formed the hand seal for dispelling a jutsu. A plume of smoke later, Genma stood in his spot. "Ah!" Raidou shouted, catching the attention of the mist nin. Haku gasped and covered his mouth and Zabuza's left eye twitched for good measure. Fooled by the peace-loving brats.

Tsunami also gasped, "Then if you're here, then where is my father?" Genma chuckled and put his signature senbon in his mouth, "He's just fine ma'am, staying at an inn back in Konoha. He never left." She sagged with relief.

Zabuza was the next to let out a yell of surprise when he walked over and saw Kaiza's face, "Taichou!? What are you doing here?" Several villagers gasped and murmurs began when they realized Kaiza was actually a shinobi this whole time, and not a fisherman. Tsunami's head began to ache with the amount of revelations today. Their father's friend turned to the rest of the villagers, "Our work here is done but we have more to do back in town. Let's leave them to it!" and he shooed the nosy villagers away.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, "'Taichou'? They said you were a fisherman." Turning to study Kaiza's profile, "They said you were publicly executed." He stopped speaking just as Inari rushed forward to hug his adoptive father around the leg. Kaiza's eyes warmed as he looked down at the boy. Patting his head, he looked back at the Konoha nin and Zabuza, "Hey Za-bo! Did think you'd still be alive after all the rumours I heard."

Zabuza bristled, "Do not call me that!"

Kaiza grinned, "To put it simply, due to various reasons I retired from active duty and came to the Land of Waves to live a quiet life. Inari stumbled upon me and I fell in love with Tsunami. I was happy, but Gato arrived and everything began to go downhill. I knew I had to do something. I pretended to be a civilian, underestimating the abilities and numbers of his goons.

"Prior to my execution, I created a blood clone to take my place and escaped. I figured that even I would require back-up of some sort, so I returned to Kirigakure to search for my old teammates. At that time there was an uprising in the works and the deal was to help them, in order for me to get help for here. I finished my end of the bargain, and came right back, but it seems like somebody else managed to save the day before I could."

Sakura was surprised by his story, "Blood clone?" she asked, super curious. Kaiza smiled, "A variant of the water clone." Sakura nodded to herself, it made sense. Blood was fifty-five percent plasma, which was ninety-eight percent water. It was doable.

Sasuke summed it all up pretty quickly, "So you're ex-Kiri... what, ANBU?" The older man smile widened, "You got it!" Tsunami raised her arm and grabbed hold of her husband's ear, dragging him down to her level, "You have a lot of apologizing to do mister, do you have any idea what you have put Inari through?!"

Kaiza winced, "Why don't we continue this conversation at home, I'm sure the others still have some loose ends to tie up." Naruto nodded fervently, they did. They still had to blow up the hive. Tsunami grumbled as her family walked off the bridge, chastising her husband along the way.

When they were out of sight, Naruto let loose a feral grin, "We got a building to blow up!" The remaining shinobi made their way to Gato's headquarters, when they were positioned a fair distance away from it, Sasuke gave the blond a thumbs up, "Not a soul in sight, take it down!"

Naruto formed another one of his favourite hand seals, "Katsu!"

The others standing around in trees watched the explosions, fireworks and demolition of the building, the cables all snapped one by one and the structure came crashing down. Zabuza startled after a belated thought, "What about the money?"

Naruto rubbed his nose and pulled out a scroll from his back pouch, tossing it to the mist nin. "Had the clones pick through the place when Gato and his goons came out in full. Found a safe behind his office desk, it's not sealed or anything, but I couldn't find the key," he glanced at the broadsword, "Then again, you could probably just slice off a part of it to make an opening."

Zabuza gripped the scroll before handing it to Haku for safekeeping. They would have to open it later.

"Now then, let's head back to Tsunami's house," Kakashi suggested and the group made their way back into the village. As they walked on the bridge leading to the bridge builder's abode, Sasuke remembered something, "Hey, didn't Kaiza-san say he had reinforcements coming with him? Did you get a look, Naruto?" The blond shook his head, "It was just him earlier."

Zabuza and Haku stilled in their footsteps up ahead and side-eyed each other. In a very un-ninja-like manner, the Kiri-nin experienced the chills, a shiver running up their spines.

"Zabuza!" a very distinct voice shouted from the house.

x

 **Author's Note:** I have no idea what I'm doing :D


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning:** Lower your expectations, like, right now. :)

Chapter 13

Sakura liked to observe. The subject often didn't matter as much because even if what she gleaned was unimportant at the moment, it could potentially have a use in the future. So she watched, and learned, and stored things away in her mind.

Like right now, she watched the newest arrivals from Kiri interact with their (former?) colleagues, everyone gathered at the dining table. Sakura muses, Ameyuri Ringo must have been an Inuzuka in her previous life, or perhaps she was distantly related to Tsume-san. The woman with the twin swords grabs Zabuza in a headlock and grins, "And here I thought you were a wuss, running away with your tail between yours legs, but you were actually trying to do something useful for once!" Zabuza grimaced and grabbed a hold of her arm, trying to remove it from his person. A little half-heartedly.

Sakura shifted her gaze to the other new arrival who had her arms around Haku, bringing the poor boy into her bosom. "Ah, Haku-chan! You've grown so much. You must be exhausted looking after that old grouch all the time," the woman said. With their matching hair colours, the women could have been related.

"Mei-san!" Haku blushed at his proximity to her chest, "It's really no such trouble! If I can be of use to him..." and the boy trailed off, hands at his side, unsure of how to free himself. Mei pulled Haku in further so she could look over his head at the supposed offender, "Stop corrupting the poor boy you dunce!"

Zabuza gave her the driest look he could muster, "Says the woman shoving the teen into her tits. And this why you can never find a guy."

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped drastically.

Mei released Haku and set him aside so she could have a clear path to Zabuza, she dipped her head forward, hiding her face, "Say that one more time." She dared him. Zabuza, fearless or stupid, Sakura wasn't sure which, opened his mouth and made the point to enunciate, "Can't. Get. Mar-"

Kaiza slapped his hand over that bomb.

"Now, now," the ex-ANBU captain stood between the two, "I'm sure you'll find the right one soon, Mei-kun." The young woman lifted her face, eyes hopeful, "You sure?" Kaiza nodded enthusiastically, "One day."

The room warmed up again.

Sakura watched the interactions of the Kiri-nin and decided that they had an interesting dynamic and obviously had close bonds. She glanced at her Sasuke who was watching them as well and shared a small smile. Meanwhile Naruto was with Kakashi at the other end of the table, talking to the other jounin and Tsunami.

Tsunami called Kaiza over and he dragged Zabuza along, leaving the genin, Haku and the Kiri kunoichis to talk amongst themselves. He and Sakura easily fell into a conversation about medicinal herbs, while Sasuke gathered the courage to ask Ameyuri about her swords and Naruto asked Mei if she was a swordsmen too. No harm in getting to know a potential ally better, after all. It also gave them a chance to work on their information gathering skills.

Eventually the discussion on the other side came to a conclusion and the included the others on the outcome. Kakashi pulled out a blank scroll and wrote a message to the Hokage, reporting the events thus far and requesting approval and back-up for the next bit. He summoned one of his ninken and handed over the scroll, and the pup disappeared with a plume of smoke to play messenger.

They settled down to dinner while they all waited for the reply. Sakura and Haku taking it upon themselves to help Tsunami cook due to the large number of people. The ninken returned just as dinner was wrapping up, and Kakashi opened the scroll to read the Hokage's reply.

He relayed the news to everyone in the room, "The Hokage has acknowledged our completion of this B-rank mission of protecting Tazuna and removing Gato. Tazuna-san will be accompanied back by an ANBU team selected to partake in the mission requested by the ninja of Kirigakure, with half the payment upon their arrival and the other half upon the completion of the objective assigned."

The new mission, funded by Gato's treasury now in Zabuza's possession, was to bring Sharingan users into Kiri in another coup attempt. The objective was to get as close to the Mizukage as possible and use the Sharingan on him in an attempt to break the genjutsu. Mei reassured them that everyone in Kiri was against Yagura, but instead of killing him she wanted to try and save him first.

It would take the ANBU team a few days to arrive with Tazuna, so the Kiri-nin took their time to stock up on their wares, and Mei established contact with a resistance member closer to the village to relay the new plans.

Team 7 took the time to train, be it in the woods or on the water, they trained all day almost everyday until they were exhausted. Towards the end of the week, they approached Kaiza, Zabuza and Ameyuri on separate occasions to ask for a spar, 3 against 1 just to see how they fared against each one. By the time the ANBU team arrived with the bridge builder, the Kiri-nin were a little more impressed with what the peace-lovers could do.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke greeted his older brother when the Konoha team arrived with Tazuna. Shisui threw his arm over the youngest Uchiha's shoulder, "Hey now, squirt, don't forget about me!" Sasuke shrugged the older teen off and, although childish, used his brother as a shield.

Out of the new arrivals, Sakura was most surprised by the green-clad man, "Gai-sensei! I didn't know you were part of ANBU." The Green Beast turned from greeting Genma and Raidou when she spoke up, "Oh, if it isn't the youthful blossom! I can see your team has grown leaps and bounds since our last meeting. I was assigned to the mission, but I am not part of ANBU."

Kakashi chose that moment to collect his genin. "That's right. Gai's role is to actually substitute for me and become your instructor." He left off the guardian fit, sure they would be a little miffed as being thought of as children. Which they were, but they were also equally important to Konoha. "I will be joining the ANBU team because I also possess the Sharingan," he turned to Kaiza's group, "This is Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi and Yamato. The four of us will be tasked with your mission request."

The Kiri group and Konoha's ANBU gathered to introduce themselves and discuss the plan. Meanwhile Gai and Genma took the genin back into the woods for some more physical training. "Hey Gai-sensei, if you're here, what about your own team?" The jounin smiled his signature megawatt smile and assured the blond, "No worries, Naruto-kun! I have tasked my fellow genin teammate to take my place and continue their training while I'm away."

Genma let out a noise of apprehension'. The brunet coughed into his hand when Gai looked at him curiously. He sucked on the senbon before giving his genin teammate a small smirk. "You left your kids in the hands of that anal bastard?" Genma almost couldn't believe it, but he could.

Sakura ponders that out of the typical three-man cell, this Ebisu would be the anal one. Genma the laid back one, and Gai, of course, the optimistic one.

"Come now, Genma! Ebisu is a well-rounded jounin. Who better to teach my pupils in my place than him? After all, Neji has mentioned raising to no less than jounin rank for himself," Gai continued to gush about his pupils to his genin cellmate. Meanwhile Naruto whispered to his friends, "Think they're taking it like a vacation?"

Sasuke made a noise of disbelief, "Not with the chuunin exams close, I doubt it. Least of all Rock Lee." Team 7 nodded in agreement.

The group came a stop at a clearing and the genin waited patiently for Gai to give his instructions. Instead he nodded at Genma and flashed through some seals, the brunet just barely catching on. Together they slammed their hands onto the ground, "Doton: Doryuheki!" Earth shot up from the ground and formed into a massive wall with jagged edges, much like a cliffside.

The genin had a feeling they knew what he wanted them to do. And they were right on the money when Gai explained, "I've seen you three exercise around the village, running laps and back flipping, among other things. All horizontal so far, so how about we try something vertical! Using the weight of your body against you as you climb up the cliff, like so!" Gai put one arm around his back and used the other to grab hold of the wall and lift himself up. He climbed up the wall, sometimes using his legs, sometimes using the momentum of pushing himself upwards. "No chakra, of course," he said from high up, "Genma, come!"

The brunet gave his comrade a dry look, "I think I'll pass."

The genin looked at each other and shrugged, game for this new exercise. Mimicking Gai, they grabbed hold of the wall and slowly climbed up. Sakura chose to use her legs instead of letting them dangle like Gai's. Maybe when they got back to Konoha, they could keep this up on the side of the Hokage mountain.

They really were training nuts.

At first the trio faltered and dropped back to the ground a few times but they steadily grew better at it, learning from their previous mistakes. In fact, Naruto was the first to make it to the top, followed by Sasuke and Sakura at a tie. The blond gave a whoop of joy at the top, happy to have beat his friends in their latest game. They quickly jumped back to the ground and had another go at the wall.

x

 _"Sakura," Kakashi grabbed her hand and pulled her outside after dinner. He guided her to the dock and seated himself, motioning for her to do the same beside him. "Want to talk about it now?"_

 _She sat down quietly and stared down at the water, letting the memories of earlier flood back, and with it, her unshed tears. "I-!" she started but Kakashi pulled her head into his chest, "Let it out if you have to." She clutched on to his vest, determined not to cry no matter how much she wanted to._

 _"You know," Kakashi spoke softly, "when I made my first kill, I was much younger than you. I can't even remember how old I was then. Eight, nine maybe. It was a time of war, of course, not like the current time of peace." He patted her head._

 _"Child soldiers were the norm, and killing our enemies was to be expected. By the time I was your age, my kill count couldn't even be done on all my toes and fingers."_

 _"I've said this before but as a shinobi, it's kill or be killed. We make the necessary kills to keep not only ourself safe, but our comrades, our family, our village, our Home."_

 _Sakura suddenly didn't feel the urge the cry anymore._

 _"That reasoning doesn't forgive anyone for taking somebody else's life because all life is precious. But as long as you remember what you're also protecting when you make a kill, you can learn to forgive yourself a little."_

 _Sakura nodded and straightened herself to look back at her reflection in the water._

 _"Do you want to know some coping mechanisms?"_

 _She nodded._

x

While the Kiri-nin, Kakashi, and the ANBU teamed headed into Kirigakure, Genma, Raidou, and Gai set up camp with the genin on the port island in the Land of Water. The Hokage had given the orders for the jounin to watch over the genin while Kakashi and the others accompanied the Kiri-nin. For their own safety, they were to stay far away from Kirigakure until the Konoha team tackled the problem.

"Think of it as a chance to train for the chuunin exams, which may I remind you three, begin as soon as we get back to Konoha," Kakashi had said in his parting words.

It would take another week from when they arrived in the Land of Water, before the remaining Konoha nin received any news from the others. Such news came in the form of Kakashi's summons, appearing before Gai while the genin practiced their balance, upside down on the hilt end of a kunai.

"Oh if it isn't Pakkun!" Gai greeted the summon of his longtime rival. The pug raised a paw in greeting, "Yo, Gai. I have news from Kakashi." The trio were sorely tempted to drop their exercise and crowd around the pug, but Gai already had some kind of quasi-punishment/make-up task if they failed before the time was up. So they settled for eavesdropping from their spots.

"The good news is they managed to break the Yondaime Mizukage from whomever was controlling him. The bad news is, Kakashi's chakra has exhausted. And the Uchiha brats suffered minor injury. He sent me here with the last of his soldier pills," Pakkun gestured to the scroll attached to his back.

"Your newest instructions are to gather his genin and bring them all to Kirigakure. They require Sakura's medical aid given how backwater Mist's medical system is. Plus it's a trust thing. The scroll holds Kirigakure badges for you all to wear so that the other Kiri-nin don't try anything stupid. They're still a little geared up from the battle still."

A raven popped into existence beside Pakkun. "Kuro, did something happen?" the pug greeted the other summons. The raven moved his head from side to side in a negative. He looked at Gai and relayed another message, "The Yondaime Mizukage has regained consciousness. He wishes to speak to the Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

Gai thanked both summons for their messages and they dispelled themselves. He gathered everyone and relayed the newest instructions, handing out the badges. They closed up camp and spent the better part of the day travelling inward to the hidden village.

They showed their badges at the gate and the guards allowed them passage. Kaiza was the first to approach and greet them. "This way," he said and turned, guiding the others to the hospital. Sakura cringed when she saw the building, it looked rather rundown and almost like it wanted to cave. She crossed her fingers for luck and followed after the man.

He lead them to one of the back rooms on the third floor and the genin were very happy to see their fellow comrades. Sasuke walked just a little faster to reach his brother's side.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're still alive!" the blond greeted as he plopped down on a chair beside his instructor. The scarecrow was lying down on the bed with the sheets pulled up to his nose. He laughed gingerly, "That I am Naruto, I hope you're not disappointed."

The blond beamed, "Never!"

Sakura walked over to the Uchiha cousins first and assessed Shisui first. Healing his injuries, she moved on to Itachi's. She paused a little when her chakra scanned his chest. She gave him a sharp look and he brought his hands up in a placating gesture, "I've had it check out. I'm taking care of it, don't worry Sakura-san."

Not believing him for a second, she did what she could to heal the damage to his lungs before healing his other injuries. Finally she checked on Yamato, who was the only one who came out unscathed. Then she turned to her instructor and frowned, "Do I need to give you a lecture on knowing your limits?" she teased the older man.

"Coming from a twelve year old, that might destroy my ego, so please be gentle," Kakashi closed his eye like he was smiling. She tugged on the blond's ear for leaning too close to their sensei. "Quit trying to peak," she scolded lightheartedly. Naruto couldn't help but grin.

"Right well, there's not much I can do for chakra exhaustion other than to tell you to rest. Maybe meditate. How many pills did you take?" Sakura gave him a quick scan and healed the cut on his hands. Kakashi pulled the mask back over his face and sat up, "I didn't finish the whole pack, I promise."

The pinkette gave the man the driest look she could muster, "You're going to crash any minute now," she pushed him back down into a lying position, "Sleep, we'll take turns watching you."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "And if I don't?" Naruto leaned in to whisper, "We could just have Gai do it all." The scarecrow blanched.

Kaiza watched from the doorway, amused at how the genin handled the famed copy ninja.

x

 _Kakashi and Itachi raced down the tunnel from one end with a group or Kiri-nin headed by Kaiza, while Yamato and Shisui used a different tunnel lead by Mei. They followed their respective leaders until they entered the Mizukage's chambers._

 _Yagura wasn't known to be a softy, even less so because he was being controlled if the rumours were true. The Kiri-nin carved a path for the Konoha ANBU unit, taking action against his clones and his water mirror jutsu._

 _Kakashi headed the charge, as he only had one Sharingan. While not the most powerful, he did have the most experience. Yamato and Itachi had the sides and Shisui brought up the rear in a diamond formation._

 _The plan was for Shisui to get up close and try to break the genjutsu with his Mangekyou Sharingan. And if that failed, they were going to have to go old school and apply Yamato's mokuton with a classic beat-down._

 _When they got within range, Shisui activated his eyes to their highest form, still behind Kakashi. The scarecrow caught the Mizukage's attention and then dived to the side, the jinchuuriki's gaze caught on Shisui's._

 _The pair stilled and in the span of three seconds, Shisui broke through Yagura's mental barrier and shattered the genjutsu that held his mind prisoner. In the blink of an eye, everyone was moving again. "Sorry bout this Mizukage-sama, but just to make sure!" the oldest Uchiha shouted as Yamato wrapped his extended wooden arms around the Mizukage and set his free hand in a seal._

 _Kakashi and Itachi pincer attacked the jinchuuriki, slamming their palm into his sides, injecting a jolt of foreign chakra into his system. Yagura's body convulsed before it went slack, unconscious after being freed from the lengthy illusion. The clones dispersed and the water mirror fell into a puddle. The fighting stilled._

 _Mei rushed to the Mizukage's side as Yamato removed his hold, gently lowering the leader on to the ground. She held him close and checked his pulse. Relieved she shouted for everyone to hear, "He's alive! He's fine! It's over!"_

 _The Kiri-nin rejoiced! The puppet's reign of terror was finally over._

x

"So, you must be the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki," Yagura commented idly after the introductions were over. Mei smacked him upside the head, "He has a name you dunce! Just like you have a name!"

Yagura cursed and nursed the back of his head, glaring at his childhood friend, "Violent woman." Mei glared down at him from her position beside him, "Say that one more time pipsqueak."

The Konoha nin tried to keep their jaws from hitting the floor, really they did.

"My apologies. Naruto, was it?" Yagura amended as he turned his attention back to the genin before him. The blond bowed politely. He might be in front of another jinchuuriki which would kind of make them buddies but he is still the Mizukage! "Yes, sir!" he stammered.

Yagura waved his hand, "Non-sense. Yagura will do fine. That goes for all of you." He was short for his age, in comparison to giants like the other swordsmen, and even Kaiza and Aoi. But he was the most powerful out of the entire village, not barring the fact that he also housed a tailed beast.

"So, Naruto, have you ever talked to your prisoner?" the Mizukage asked, curious to see if anyone else had even made contact with their tailed beast. Then again, the only other jinchuuriki he knew in-person was Utakata. And he had gone wayward since, well, the whole mess began.

The blond shook his head, "No, Yagura-sama." Yagura frowned at the formality before his face eased into a look of contemplation. "If you want, I can teach you," he suggested.

Naruto looked gobsmacked, "Really?" he tried to collect himself, "You would be willing to do that?"

Yagura smiled, "Of course, a gift for freeing me from that hell, even though your ANBU friends are already being compensated with coin. It's been a while since I've talked to my own. Did you know they have names? The three-tailed is named Isobu. Think of it as a friendly gesture from one potential ally to another."

Building relationships with other hidden villages was long overdue in Yagura's opinion, especially given how long his mind had been trapped. He and Mei had both wanted a better future for their village. It wasn't too late, not with this golden opportunity before them.

Naruto was eager to finally tap into that part of his life. "Then yes please, I would be honoured to learn from you!" He tried to quell the bouncing. Yagura nodded and motioned for his aide, Ao to mark it down on his notes.

On to the next matter. "Now then, Zabuza tells me that you," he looked over at Sakura, "are rather well-connected for a twelve year old. Care to explain?"

She flushed under the sudden attention and cleared her throat to gather her thoughts. "It's nothing as grand as Zabuza-san makes it sound. I'm merely the daughter of a merchant. It's my mother and my extended family that are well connected. I am merely piggybacking on their name," she demurred and bowed politely.

Mei seemed rather excited when she turned to her friend and stated, "Her name is Haruno Sakura. Haruno!" as if it meant something big.

And it kind of did. Yagura's eyes widened as he turned back to assess the pink-haired girl. To think a Haruno clan member was in his audience today. All these golden opportunities kept popping up.

"Haruno as in Haruno Clan, merchant empire?" Yagura casually asked. The attention caused her face to redden even more now that everyone in the room was looking at her curiously. "Y-yes, Yagura-sama. It's embarrassing to say this, but I am the Clan heir."

"And in the view of a business-woman, what did you have to gain by urging Zabuza to accept Konoha's help?"

Sakura stilled her nerves. She was a shinobi after all, and her clan's heir. She had a backbone and she'd be damned if she didn't use it to make her mother proud.

Her smile turned professional as she turned her full attention to the Mizukage. "Much like yourself, Yagura-sama, I saw an opportunity and I seized it. I hope to secure an open path for my family's business into not only this country, but your village. We handle all matters of goods ranging from produce to shinobi tools."

She sounded a little too much like her mother. "And from a shinobi perspective, as you earlier stated, a potential ally."

Yagura snorted, "Peace-lovers. Sneaky peace-lovers."

Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes, it's not like the Mizukage was being subtle about what he wanted in the grand scheme of things.

"Very well then, perhaps we can send off some messengers hawks for the Hokage and the Haruno Clan. And while we wait for a response, Naruto, I will teach you how to find your jailed beast."

x

Naruto sat up alarmed. He looked all around him.

He was in... some kind of sewer?

He sure as hell hoped this wasn't what his intestines actually looked like.

He sat up and noticed the water didn't actually make him wet. He walked down the hallway and made the first turn he came to. He followed it, followed the hum of chakra as it got thicker with malice.

Before he realized it, he stood in front of a gate. A single seal sheet far up out of reach.

He stood and waited, wondering if the Kyuubi would wake up or come to the gate like a zoo animal. He winced at his own cruelty.

Should be knock on the gate? Maybe call out to him?

The beast beyond the gate stirred, eyes opening lazily before they sharpened with anger.

"What to hell are you doing here?" it roared as he reared his head, drawing as close to the gate as possible without touching it. The beast stared down at the blond, anger rolling off of him in endless waves.

"I wanted to meet you," Naruto said softly, "For a long time now."

Kyuubi sneered, jailed inside another sentimental, optimistic brat. Another, he took a whiff, another blasted Uzumaki. "Came to play did you?" maybe he could trick the brat into giving up control of his chakra network.

Naruto gave the beast a dirty look, "Nice try! Isobu's container, Yagura-sama, said you'd try something sneaky!" The kyuubi roared, partially in anger, partially to make the boy piss his pants.

But Naruto stood tall. "Why are you full of so much hate?" even the blond wanted to grouch a little.

"Because you blasted humans have jailed me for centuries! I am chakra, the strongest of my kin, and yet I am reduced to this!" His tails swished rapidly behind him.

"Well, I can't exactly free you, now can I? Not unless I wanted the entire continent destroyed or something, which I don't!" Naruto grumbled, "It's not like either of us had a choice in that matter anyways."

Naruto tried to brighten his mood, "By the way, what's your name? If the three-tails has a name, you must too!"

The Kyuubi roared in rage, "Get out!"

Naruto felt like he was being kicked out of his own mind, and it came as no real surprise when he blinked and found himself on his back, Yamato and Kakashi starring down at him.

"Guess it didn't go well?" Yamato eased back, now that Naruto was awake and still himself. The blond jackknifed, "That punk!" he really wanted to suck his teeth or click his tongue, something to show his annoyance, "He kicked me out of my own mind!"

"I'll show that grumpy bastard if it's the last thing I do!" Naruto closed his eyes again, used to meditating, and quelled his mind until he was back in that dark waterway.

Kakashi smiled at his determination, "Stubborn, just like your mother. Good luck, Naruto."

x

After what seemed like forever, Team 7 and their fellow nin walked through the gates of Konoha, utterly relieved to be home.

Genma took the scroll from Shisui and turned to the group, "We'll go ahead and hand this in first, you guys will be expected to make a report soon, and the same goes for you Kakashi." Waving his free hand, he motioned for Raidou to follow and they made their way to the Tower.

Sakura stretched her arms high up in the sky, "It's good to be back. I should go find my mother and give her the news." She too had a scroll in her pocket. Business stuff. Genma's scroll was a signed copy of the agreed alliance terms.

Kakashi caught their attention, "Before you guys leave, here," he picked up the sheets from Izumo at the gate and handed it out to them. "Chuunin Exams," he smiled, "You three need to enter as a team, so sign it and make sure to bring it with you on the day of the exams."

Kotetsu leaned over the table, "And just so you guys know, there's a bunch of foreign ninja in the village because of the exams, so don't be alarmed, kay?" The trio nodded. Izumo piped in, "The exams will be in three days, the starting point is the Academy!" The trio bid their farewells before parting ways. Next up, Chuunin Exams!

x

 **Author's Note:** I told you not to expect too much. I had actually never intended for them to go so far in their Wave adventure. I certainly didn't plan on addressing the matter of Yagura. But I kind of like his character design and his fanon version seems kind of fun, so I figured, why not? I am so glad I can finally move on to the chuunin exams bit. I procrastinated like crazy on writing this chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Warning:** more canon-esque events

Chapter 14

The first time Sakura met the Konohamaru Gang, she had to try really hard not to laugh at their introduction. It was almost like they were playing superhero; it was kind of cute.

What wasn't cute was the little brat asking Naruto if she was his girlfriend. The blond paled and shook his head, "No way man! She's like a sister to me!" Sakura nodded her head sagely, that she was. They were practically family.

"Is it because she's got a big forehead?" Konohamaru asked.

Hokage's grandson or not, the pint-sized brat might not live to see the next hour. Her killing intent might have radiated too strongly because the preschoolers hightailed it in the opposite direction. The genin watched with slight horror as the preschoolers bumped into two perfect strangers as they turned the corner.

Naruto was the first to rush over, Sakura and Sasuke followed. The blond caught Konohamaru by the scarf and pulled him back just before the stranger could make a grab for him. "Hey there!" the blond started, pushing the preschooler behind him, "There's no need to get physical, they're just kids. We were just fooling around."

The girl with the stranger scoffed, "Lay off," she addressed the guy she was with, "You'll only get into trouble for it later."

The guy with the war paint smirked, "Why don't we join in until the stricter ones come around." He took one step forward and brought his hand forward, "Little punks,"

Sasuke shushin'd and caught that wandering hand before it could make contact. Holding it at the wrist, he didn't apply any pressure, but the hold was firm enough to get the point across. "Foreign ninja should behave themselves. We may be hosting you all here for the exams, but we're not pushovers."

Kankuro smirked, "Konoha Genin have backbones after all, but you're still weak." He flicked his fingers but what he had expected to happen didn't.

Sasuke's mouth twitched into a smirk, "Do I need to tout the fact that he's the Hokage's grandson?"

Gritting his teeth he yanked his other hand out of Sasuke's grasp and brought it back to his side. He stepped back and yanked the package off his back, loosening the bandages. Brats were brats after all, daring to get smart with him despite being younger. He was going to teach them a lesson. Behind him, Temari cautioned, "You can't be serious!"

A third voice filtered above them all, "He better not be." Everyone looked up at the newest arrival. A redhead with a giant gourd strapped to his back. "Ga-gaara!" the two Suna shinobi exclaimed.

Kankuro hastily repositioned his luggage on his back, "I, I was just joking around, I promise!" Gaara slid his glance between his siblings, landing on his brother. "You are an embarrassment to the village." He disappeared in a swirl of sand and reappeared between his siblings and the Konoha nin.

He didn't even bother to tilt his head, but his eyes found the blond and he said without much emotion, "I apologize for his antics. He is a fool." The blond couldn't his voice. He looked at Gaara and could feel something was off, something was different about this boy. Something dangerous.

Sakura moved to stand beside her friend, "It's fine. Suna and Konoha are allies after all. It was a misunderstanding." Gaara slid his glance over to the girl. Her hair was pink and her eyes were green, and her forehead a little wide. But he paused and stared at her eyes. They were green like his, they had witnessed death like his.

He tilted his head and heard the voice ringing in his mind, "So you have killed too." Without missing a beat he turned away and walked past his siblings, "Come. This is not why we're here." His siblings obediently followed after him.

They waited until they were out of sight before letting out a breath of relief. Sasuke walked over to his teammates and let out a low whistle. His teammates caught on to the signal, they were being watched by someone else now. And they weren't friendly.

They sent the preschoolers on their way before heading off to the library. They had some scrolls to dig up on all the participating villages.

x

"Nii-san," Sasuke addressed his brother at dinner. Itachi looked up from his rice to give his little brother his undivided attention, "Yes, Sasuke?"

Without skipping a beat, Sasuke asked, "How tight will security be for the Exams?" The older brother blinked, a little surprised by the question. He mulled it over and slid a glance over to their father who nodded.

"To my understanding, there will be more patrols from the Police Force. Most shinobi that haven't already been sent out are being kept close to home," he tilted his head as he studied the teen, "Why do you ask?"

Sasuke finished his rice and asked his mother for another helping before turning back to Itachi. "Kakashi-sensei said that because of Naruto's status, we would constantly be in danger. I figured opening our village for the exams could invite unwanted trouble. Will you be around?"

Itachi frowned, his little brother certainly had a reason to be concerned. "I will be one of the many watching over the exams, in the shadows."

 _So ANBU then_ , Sasuke figured.

Itachi set his bowl down on the table and placed his chopsticks on top, indicating he was done. He thanked his mother for the meal and caught Sasuke's attention. "If you'd like, I can teach you the chakra flare pattern to signal me with, should you face a dangerous foe that you can't escape." His mind went to a dark corner, now that he thought about it, there would be one bastard crazy enough to infiltrate the exams for his goals.

"You have a call pattern?" Sasuke asked curiously. Itachi nodded, "Every ANBU agent has one. Another sort of code when you can't use your fingers or words." And as an afterthought he added, "Kakashi-senpai has one too. Although it might be of much use. Jounin instructors will be placed in a room to watch the progress through the monitors until the end of the second phase."

"Senpai..." Sasuke started connected the dots, "That means Yamato has one too then?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes, he does."

Sasuke agreed to learning Itachi's flare pattern after dinner. He received permission to teach Sakura and Naruto. And then tomorrow, he was going to hunt down Yamato and Kakashi and get them to teach theirs to the genin as well.

He wasn't a worrywart, but he wanted to make sure he had as many options as possible. He would protect his friends. His family.

x

"Get out!" Naruto got kicked out of his own mind for the second time within an hour. Stupid Kyuubi.

He turned to look at Sakura who had been patiently waiting beside him, "What am I doing wrong?"

Sakura smiled gently as she watched him gripe about his current conundrum. "Nothing's wrong, Naruto, you're doing everything right."

"Then why does he keep kicking me out!" he flopped on to the grass and started rolling around in frustration. She laughed lightly at his antics.

"I told you this before when we were kids didn't I? You have a big heart."

He stopped rolling around and sat up to look at her, "So?"

She grinned, "It scares him so he reacts the only way he knows how." Understanding dawned on his face and his expression turned sneaky, "Oh-ho, so that's how it is." He brought her in for a bear hug and then let her go to settle back into a sitting position. Determination renewed, "Thanks Sakura-chan, you're the best." And then he slipped back in.

x

Kakashi entered the Jounin Headquarters. He, like Yamato, had been surprised when his cute genin asked the pair to teach them their flare patterns. He had merely raised an eyebrow and Sasuke quickly explained his concerns.

So the ex-ANBU taught the genin their flare patterns.

Now the scarecrow was inside headquarters to get a look at the security details for the exams. He headed upstairs, past the lounge and straight to an office door at the end of the hall. Knocking once, he entered and found the man in charge actually at his desk.

Kakashi entered and greeted the commander, "Shikaku-san."

The Nara head looked up from his pile of papers at the greeting. "Oh, Kakashi. Great timing. Come and have a look at this." Kakashi made his way over and Shikaku shuffled the papers until the got the right one and smoothed it over the table top. "These are the schedules and patrol groups that have been decided on for the exams. Any thoughts?"

Shikaku knew a good deal about Kakashi's past and his views on having a team of any kind. He knew the scarecrow would be hellbent on protecting what was his to his dying breath if it came down to it.

Kakashi looked the paper over from one end to the other, fully absorbing the details. He pulled another map over, this one showing a wider expanse of the forest surrounding the village. He circled one area, "The patrols need to overlap this area as well." He stopped his circling and drew his finger towards the picture of the village.

"It's behind the mountain on the side with the shrine. Largely overlooked, but it's a blindspot for the village. Nothing really ever happens out there, but we shouldn't take that chance. Shikaku nodded slowly. He would reroute some of the patrols to make sure they made it through that area as well.

"I hear there's some... mystical influence over that area as well. Might want to set a Hyuuga on that patrol, just in case."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow but made a note on the papers anyways. He didn't really want to question it. If he remembered correctly, the shrine was headed by Haruno Kizashi, and his daughter was on Kakashi's team. Guess it made sense.

"Was there something that you needed?" the commander asked.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, "Now that you mention it... would you happen to have files on the participating teams' instructors from the other villages?"

x

Team Seven met up outside the Academy and headed upstairs together. They paused on the second floor when they heard a commotion. Gai's Team was being beat back from the exam door by two Konoha shinobi. They were laughing at the others' miserable attempts to get through forcefully.

"If you can't get through us, you're not even worthy of becoming Chuunin," the left guard said.

Sasuke and Naruto rolled their eyes, they knew those signatures rather well, considering how often they tagged along with Genma. Sakura shrugged and continued up the stairs. Neji had the Byakugan, so they were really downplaying themselves this time around.

At the end of the hall on the third floor, Kakashi waited for them in front of the double doors. "I'm glad you three made it up here. Can't take the Exams unless in a group of three after all," he was really proud of his students, expecting nothing less.

They passed through the doors and everyone in the room looked over as the doors swung shut. Hundreds of pairs of eyes examining the newcomers.

Sakura looked at the mass of bodies. Jeez we're a colourful bunch. They stood out like sore thumbs. At least their attire were common black and greys. With the exception of Naruto's jacket with it's splash of orange.

At the sound of crunching chips, the trio turned and saw Chouji's team leaning against the wall. Actually, Hinata's team was there as well. Team seven walked over to their friends and exchanged greetings.

"Seems like it's been a while since we've all gathered, but here we all are," Kiba grinned, "the Rookie Nine." Ino sighed, "I can't believe you seriously just called us that."

Indignant he raised his voice a little, "What the hell! I thought it was a good name! Right, Akamaru!?" the pup yipped. Sakura chuckled, "It's not fair to consult your nin-ken, you know he doesn't care for things like that."

The friends ribbed Kiba a few more times before another Konoha genin interrupted them.

"My, my, you guys should learn to quiet down," the silver-haired nin said, "This isn't a field trip you know."

Sasuke tensed, this guy gave off nothing but bad vibes. Sakura and Naruto felt it too. And a few others in their group felt it as well. Affronted, Ino gave the older boy a fake smile, "And who would you be?"

The guy pushed his glasses up his face, "Yakushi Kabuto. Take a look around." Team Eight and Ten looked around, but Seven kept their sights on Kabuto. "I thought I'd give you guys a little warning since everyone's really tense. Don't want to get your butt whooped."

He pulled out a stack of cards, "These are my ninja info cards," and then he proceeded to explain and go out of his way to show them how it worked.

Something wasn't adding up at all.

This was his seventh time taking the exam, and probably the first for some other genin in the room, but his cards held too much information.

Sasuke caught Kabuto's attention, "There's two specific people I'm interested in, do you have their information?" The older boy nodded, "It's not perfect, but it's burned and recorded. Do you have their names?"

Sasuke gave him the names Gaara from Suna and Rock Lee from Konoha. Delighted, Kabuto shuffled his cards and pulled out two from the stack. Inserting chakra, the cards lit up with details.

Too many details.

Team Seven was sure this was Lee's first time entering. Kabuto shouldn't have any chance of knowing anything more about Lee other the fact that he was a close combat type, given that he was on Gai's team. Yet the card stated his mission record and stats, along with his teammates faces and Gai's face.

Even Kabuto acknowledged that this was Lee's first time in the Exams.

Team Seven shared a look as Kabuto continued on to Gaara's card next. How did a mere genin access such specific information on all participants? And the cards could only be activated with his chakra. The gears turned in the trio's minds. _Spy_.

Smoke erupted from the other end of the room, a booming voice rang out, "Silence you good-for-nothings!" The smoke cleared and Ibiki stood with a group of grey-uniformed ninja behind him. The large man smirked, "Sorry to keep you all waiting. Name's Morino Ibiki, proctor for the first test in the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto rubbed his chin in deep thought. _His face looks more gaunt than the last time I saw him. Aging? The man needs some ramen._

Ibiki scanned the crowd, "I'll say this in advance. There will be no fights during the exams without the proctor's permission. Even with it, actions that lead to death are not permitted. If you fuck with me, you're disqualified, got it?"

Sakura cringed in her mind, Did he seriously just refer to himself with -sama? Somebody's got a complex.

Silence met him. "Line up and hand in your application form. You will be given a number plate. Sit at the assigned seat that matches your number. No exceptions. The paper test will be handed out after."

The crowd followed his instruction and everyone was eventually seated with a paper and pencil in front of them. The question side down. Ibiki tapped the chalkboard with his piece of chalk. Everyone looked up. "There are several important rules to this exam. I won't take any questions, so listen up."

After the explanation of the rules, the clock's second hand landed on the dot and he shouted for them to start, "You have one hour, begin!"

Time to think outside the box.

Sakura flipped her sheet over and read through each question. She cursed inwardly, only a select few in the room including herself would ever be able to solve these problems. Already the bar was set ridiculously high.

That's right, _ridiculous_.

She scanned the rows of people in front of her, recalling the third rule, cheaters caught would be disqualified after five instances. After all, it was two points each. In the roundabout shinobi way, it just meant you had to cheat good enough to not get caught.

And if they were being encouraged to cheat, there had to be plants among the examinees that knew all the answers. Body language was hard to read when it was just everyone's backs, but she noticed some were having an easier time answering the questions. Their necks didn't sweat, they didn't perform any nervous behaviour. Those were most likely the plants, or extremely confident in their answers.

It seemed like almost everyone else had arrived at the same conclusion. She looked down at her paper and then looked up again at the whirl of a thrown kunai.

Naruto barely flinched as it whizzed past him and dug into the test paper of the guy behind him. Kotetsu stood up, "You, you messed up five times," his smile a little cocky, "You and this guy's teammates, clear out." The guy and his cellmates got up and left the room grudgingly. Naruto felt bad for the guy who got caught, his mates were probably going to give him crap as soon as the door closed.

Slowly others were getting called out and the numbers began to dwindle. Some were unwilling to accept their defeat and had to be physically removed.

Sakura stared down at her paper, fingers tapping on her knee. She knew if she answered the questions, Ino would use her Mind Transfer technique to copy the answers. She couldn't risk that, she need to pay attention until the time as up. Sasuke also sat behind her in the rows, so hopefully he would take note of her inaction.

The next thing on her mind was the last question Ibiki would ask. Given how geared up everyone was, there was a really good chance and Sakura would bet ramen on it, that it was an all-or-nothing kind of question. So she scribbled what she need to on the back of the paper and left it question side up, blank.

She felt the instant Ino's chakra invaded her system. Too bad she wouldn't be getting anything out of it. Another moment later she registered Ino pushing herself back out. Sakura let out a quick breath of relief. She was glad Ino didn't stick around to pick through her mind.

At the forty-five minute mark, Ibiki announced he was going to give the last question. And just because he could, he decided to throw in some extra rules.

Psychological warfare, here we go.

x

 _"Hey Genma-nii," Naruto asked as the trio practiced the water walking exercises, newly taught to them by the tokujo._

 _Genma's heart clenched a little at that title. "Yeah, what is it kid?" he watched as the three of them walked with different levels of ease. Sakura having it the easiest, naturally._

 _Naruto was tempting to look at Genma and not his feet, but he was afraid looking away would make his control slip. "When I was a kid, I met this guy at the market. He seemed to know about me, but I'd never seen him before. But he was definitely a shinobi. He was this big guy with a grey trench coat and a bandana covering his head, kind like yours. Two scars on the right side of his face. Have you seen him before?"_

 _Genma almost choked on his senbon, what the hell was Ibiki doing in the market, first of all, and making conversation with midget, impressionable, Naruto. He could have made the boy piss his pants with his mean look alone!_

 _Genma removed the senbon and coughed to clear his throat. "Ugh, there's only one guy in the village with that description," Sasuke and Sakura turned to show their interest, "Morino Ibiki."_

 _"Snoring in the forest?" the raven asked curiously and Genma choked back a laugh. "Kids, don't be misled by his name, it's almost like wolf in sheep's clothing!"_

 _Sakura cocked her head to the side, "So, he's a big, bad wolf?" Genma grinned, "Yeah, he is. Head of Torture and Interrogation. A real pro. He was on a genin team with Hayate, if you remember him Sakura-chan." The girl nodded._

 _"So like what, he's the king of mindfucks?" Naruto's face contorted in confusion._

 _"First of all, kids like you shouldn't know words like that, and even if you did, at least wait until you're a genin to use 'em," someone had to be the responsible adult here, "Second of all, it's not just that, it's psychological torture. He messes with your mind so badly that you'd sooner spill it all on a silver platter if it meant stopping your descent into insanity."_

 _"Hm..." Naruto pondered and his attention slipped and so did his feet, "Ah!" he shouted before he sunk into the water._

x

"Those who don't want to answer the last question, raise your hands."

The guy next to Naruto raised his hand and the Chuunin examiners called out his number as well as his teams and had them walk out. Others started raising their hands as well and the examiners continued to call them out.

Once the numbers dropped by half, Naruto decided it was time to cause a scene. He slowly raised his hand into the air, catching the attention of the examiners and then slammed it down on the table as he got up.

"Don't underestimate me! I won't run away! I'll take your damn question! Even if I stay Genin forever, I will become a Hokage no matter what it takes! I'm not scared!"

He sat back down defiantly and crossed his arms over his chest. Everyone else in the room looked at the blond in awe and suddenly gained courage again.

"I'll ask again, this is a life-changing moment, you can still quit" Ibiki stated. Naruto looked at Ibiki, his grin fox-like, "I don't go back on my word, it's my ninja way."

The proctor took a step forward. _Kid's got guts. Hasn't changed at all, still has a way with words. Seventy-eight participants, it's not likely to drop further no matter what I do._ He exchanged nods with the fellow chuunin.

He turned back to the genin remaining, "I see your determination, then for all the remaining participants, for this first test..." he tried to draw it out because he liked to mess with their minds even to the end, "you've all passed!"

Now it was Sakura's turn to make a scene, she got up and slammed her hands on the table, "What do you mean we passed? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki went on to explain the purpose of the first nine as well as the last question. He pulled the bandana off his head, "Of course the idiots who got caught obviously cheating were disqualified. That's because information, situation and timing depending, can be more valuable that life. On the battlefield or a mission, you'll always have to risk your life to fight for it!"

The genin remaining gasped at the scars and holes all over Ibiki's head. Signs of physical torture.

He retied his bandana over his head. "Remember this, wrong information can cause death to you and your team. Hence why we tested your ability to gather the correct information. Of course, the tenth question was the main issue of the exam." He explained the reason behind the tenth question, and it bled into a speech about the qualities needed to be a chuunin.

"You've all gotten through the first gate, with this the exam is done. I wish you all well."

The windows shattered and kunai attached to a giant blanket were thrown at the ceiling and floors. It unfurled to reveal giant writing as well as a woman with short purple hair shouting, "You guys! This isn't the time to be celebrating," she had one hand in her pocket, the other thrust out sideways in a grand entrance, "I'm the proctor for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko! Let's move on to the next stage! Follow me!"

Everyone stared at her, bug-eyed. Ibiki came out halfway behind the giant tarp, "Read the atmosphere you dunce."

Flustered, she tried to amend the situation as she looked at the crowd, "Twenty-six teams Ibiki? Surely you're slipping. I'll be sure to drop it by more than half in the next portion."

"I'll give you the details tomorrow. We'll be changing locations so ask your jounin instructor for the time and place to meet up. That's it. Dismissed!"

 _Then why did you show up today and now?_ Sakura questioned the mentality of this woman.

Everyone filed out and the chuunin lagged behind, but Ibiki sent them home for the day and kicked Anko out as well, muttering about being overly eager for a first-timer. He picked up the clipboard that held the list of genin by teams as well as their corresponding seat numbers.

Ibiki will admit it, he was a little peculiar. He started gathering the papers by the teams. When he got around to the Konoha genin section, he picked up Team Seven's first, starting with Naruto's.

Hm? He huffed a laugh. Never thought I'd see the day someone passed with a blank test. For the heck of it he turned it over, expecting to see doodles. And he did find one in the bottom corner. ' _Yakushi_ '.

Curious he moved on to the next paper in the group, Sakura's. Same thing, blank sheet. He turned it over. ' _Kabuto_ '.

He moved on to the last sheet, Sasuke's and found another blank and turned it over. ' _Spy._ '

His fist tightened on the papers in his other hand. He had questions that needed answers like last week.

x

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out as they neared the scarecrow at the usual bridge. The man gave his usual smile, "I see you three passed. I've been told the details for the next test."

Naruto keeping up his happy demeanour, jogged up to the man and wrapped his hands around the jounin's wrist, "That's great sensei!" He gave the man a tug and tapped on the underside of his arm. _We need to talk without onlookers. Now._ Sasuke's eyes darted to the trees and down at the water.

Catching the signals, Kakashi remained at ease, "Why don't we celebrate with some training. First one to the shrine without flash-stepping gets to choose dinner?" The trio agreed and sped off before Kakashi could even tell them to begin. Doesn't matter, he'd end up winning anyways.

The team made it up the steps of the shrine but took the fork and entered the dojo instead. Naruto pulled seals out of his pouch and Kakashi slapped them on to the walls and activated them.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked as he turned to face his genin.

"There's this guy in the exams, he's a Konoha genin. His name is Yakushi Kabuto," Naruto started.

"He's got these ninja information cards that activates with his chakra. He's been in the exam seven times, including this one, and it's a thick pile with information on most of the participants and the amount of ninja from each village participating," Sakura continued.

"But he even has cards on people who are entering for the first time, which he should have if he didn't know about participants until they entered the room. But he has cards on newcomers like Rock Lee and it lists his attributes and his mission record!" Sasuke finished.

"Please tell me you see the problem with this," Sakura hoped they made sense.

Kakashi's lone eye narrowed, "Yes, I do see it, very clearly in fact. What is a genin doing with information that should only be found in official records and not accessible to low-rank shinobi." It was a rhetorical question, obviously.

"We think he's a spy. Why else would he have stolen official records on cards that only activate with his chakra," Sasuke continued.

Kakashi nodded, "I will take this to the Hokage immediately. Have you told anyone else?"

Sakura answered, "We tried to tell Ibiki-san with our test papers, but I'm not sure if he's going to get it." The scarecrow nodded again, "It must likely would have. We'll take care of it. Continue to act normal so you don't raise suspicion." The trio returned the nods.

"Good. The next proctor is Mitarashi Anko, and I bet you've already met her," the genin nodded, "I can already see how it happened. She's a good shinobi, deep down, a little messed up on the surface, though. To this day I'm still not sure if it's an act or not, but you can trust her. If you sense anything else abnormal, make sure you tell her before the next test begins. The next location is a place you're all familiar with."

He paused to build suspense but his kids weren't falling for it. He sighed, "It's training ground 44, the Forest of Death. Be there at 0900." He looked at the seals, "Now then, how about we take these down and go grab some ramen. It might be your last for a while after all."

Naruto whooped with joy.

x

 **Author's Note:** Team 7 are such cheeky little shits already. Also, I never really like Kabuto.


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning:** More canon-esque events.  
 **A Word of Gratitude:** Thank you Netflix for still having Naruto on your list.

Chapter 15

At 0730, Team 7 gathered near training ground 44. They spotted some of the chuunin and jounin setting up tables near one of the gates, so they chose to keep their distance and observe.

Around half an hour before the arranged meeting time, most of the genin teams had filtered into the area, but still the trio did not budge from their station in the trees. Their signatures muted to that of birds.

"Survival test?" Sakura prompted as her gaze slid from the Konoha teams to the Suna team and then on to the Ame teams.

"Most likely, if they're going to send us in there," Sasuke replied, rubbing at his eyes a little, "We're prepared for whatever they're going to throw at us."

Naruto gently grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled it away from the raven's face, "You're going to do more damage than good if you keep doing that." The middle child gave the blond a baleful glare before grudgingly lowering his hands to his side.

"At least you're not blind!" the blond tried to cheer. Sasuke rolled his eyes, or tried to anyways.

"Come, on. We should head down," Sakura dropped to the floor elegantly and started walking towards the gathered crowd. Her boys followed suit.

To most of the gathered genin, the area beyond the fence looked rather daunting, but for Team Seven, it was almost like a playground. A very dangerous, risky, playground though.

Anko appeared at 0900 in a plume of smoke and shouted for the genin to gather around. "This is the site for the second exam, Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death." She smirked as she caught a few of the children shivering.

Sakura nudged Naruto and the blond suddenly exclaimed, "We're not afraid!" Anko threw a kunai past him and flash stepped behind him. His teammates fought the urge to respond.

Anko's smirk grew crueller, "People like you, are the first to die. Coloured in my favourite, red." She grabbed one of his cheeks and angled his face towards her, swiping her finger along the cut she made on his other cheek. Naruto blinked owlishly, _I wonder if there's a punishment for hurting the jinchuuriki..._

The woman suddenly turned, another kunai drawn when a long tongue appeared over her shoulder, her first kunai held in it's wrap. "I'm returning... you're kunai," the Grass-nin stated, tipping her hat.

Anko grinned, "Thank you for going out of your way." She matched stares with the genin for a moment, "But don't stand behind me when you're hungry for blood."

Anko grabbed the proffered weapon, "Unless you want an early death."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the display of the proctor. _Kakashi must have been kidding, she's clearly psycho._ The grass-nin walked past her and Sakura turned to examine her back, _This one too with that long tongue._ She felt the fine hairs on her arms raise, _Like a snake_.

 _Like a snake_.

Sakura quelled her face into a concerned expression as she turned to Naruto. The blond poked his head out from behind Anko, for some reason, sticking his tongue out.

Anko moved back to the front of the crowd and pulled out a thick stack of papers, explaining what the consent forms were for. She, alone, let out a rough bark of laughter before moving on to explain the second test.

She pointed to the tent off to the side, "Exchange your sent forms there for a scroll, then standby at a gate. Remember, don't die!"

The genin broke off in their teams and moved away from the immediate area to go over their strategies.

Sasuke walked as far away as he could and sat down by a boulder, observing all the other teams while glancing at his consent form. Naruto walked over towards Team Ten, waving his form.

Sakura read her form and walked over to Anko, who stood off to the side. "Mitarashi-san," she called out as she neared. The woman looked up at the pinkette and scowled lightly, "Call me Anko, Mitarashi-san makes me sound old." Sakura smiled and amended, "Anko-san, then."

Anko raised an eyebrow at the pinkette, who didn't seem afraid of her. She clearly wasn't doing her job right if the pinkette wasn't utterly terrified of her. "Did you need something, cotton candy?"

Sakura tilted her head, first time she's been called that. Schooling her expression, she moved a little closer, "Actually, it's about just now, when you tried to scare Naruto."

Anko's smirk returned, and she felt her ego boosting, "Yeah, and? Wanna defend your teammate? Got some nasty words for me?" She'd show the little punks!

Sakura shook her head, "No, I just wanted to thank you. But that Kusa genin, wow was she scary. And did she see her tongue?" her eyes widened to express her surprise, "It was so long!" Her wide eyes changed with a sharp glint and she leaned in and put her hands over her mouth and whispered, " _Like a snake_."

And then she pulled away so she could see the woman's reaction. Anko froze, her face neutral, but her eyes betrayed her shock. She shoved her hands inside her pockets where they clenched and unclenched repeatedly, the nails digging into her skin.

Satisfied that Anko seemed to have understood the message, she shifted weight to her other leg to catch the woman's attention again. Placing her hands behind her back to relay that she was not hostile, she looked at the woman in the eye, "Kakashi-sensei said we can trust you."

Anko's smile was grim and bittersweet, "You got it, kiddo. Get back to your mates. Another word of advice, keep an eye on the Uchiha." Sakura nodded and made herself scarce.

x

 _Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were lying on the Uchiha's porch, books and scrolls open between them, their tummies a little sore from prolonged pressure._

 _"So, what's the Legendary Sannin?" the blonde asked as his eyes flittered between his homework at the book in front of him. He looked up when he heard Sasuke sigh, "Not what, but who."_

 _Naruto rolled his eyes, "Fine, who's the Legendary Sannin?"_

 _Sakura rolled on to her back, the pressure becoming unbearable. She looked up at the clear blue sky. "The Legendary Sannin," she recited, "are the three greatest shinobi of their time. Taught by the God of Shinobi."_

 _Naruto opened his mouth to ask another question but Sasuke had already preempted it, "The God of Shinobi is the nickname given to the Third Hokage." He gave the boy a look, "The man you call 'gramps'."_

 _Naruto's mouth formed an O-shape. "Okay, so," he quickly glanced down at the question sheet, "What makes them so famous? Besides that."_

 _Sakura watched the clouds slowly moving. She kind of understood why Shikamaru could do this all day long. "They're known most prominently for the Summoning Technique. Jiraiya summoned Toads, Tsunade summoned slugs, and Orochimaru summoned snakes."_

 _Naruto nodded enthusiastically as he scribbled it down on his question sheet. He looked over at the picture on in the books of the three summons, arranged in a triangle. His eyes flickered down to the caption, "What's a three-way deadlock?"_

 _Sasuke rolled on to his back next, using his hands as a cushion for his head, "Like rock, paper, scissors; snakes over toads, toads over slugs, slugs over snakes."_

 _Sakura closed her eyes, the weather making her sleepy, "Deadlock means nobody is losing, but nobody is winning either, like the powers are even. There's a kabuki play based on them. I can ask one of the monks for tickets if you guys want to check it out. I think his cousin works at the theatre or something like that." She let a yawn rip._

 _Naruto tapped his pencil against his chin, "How come I've never seen one of them? Are they still alive?"_

 _Sasuke closed his eyes too, the weather was just that good. "The story is that the team disbanded after the second war. Obviously any further information on that is beyond our clearance as students so who knows where they are right now. But Orochimaru, he's a missing-nin."_

 _"How do you know that?" Naruto rolled on to his back, mimicking his friends._

 _Itachi entered the living room and looked at the nine-year olds lazing on the back porch, "Because I told him," the teen said smoothly as he moved towards the trio. He glanced down at their books and papers, "Homework?"_

 _Sakura opened her eyes to greet Itachi, "Yeah. Sasuke and I are done, it's just Naruto who's having trouble."_

 _Naruto rolled over again quickly, "What the heck! Since when did you guys finish!"_

 _Itachi's mouth twitched and he let out a small chuckle, his brother's friends were amusing. He calmed himself and his face relaxed, but his eyes held a hard edge. Sasuke apparently noticed and looked at his brother, "What is it, nii-san?"_

 _Itachi's lips pulled into a frown, "If you ever encounter into Orochimaru, you must run for your life. Do you understand, Sasuke?" The younger Uchiha sat up, a little perplexed by his brother's question. But he nodded regardless, "Yes, nii-san." Itachi looked at Sakura and Naruto, "You two as well. Run. He is a dangerous man. Understood?" Sakura and Naruto looked up and nodded, "Yes Itachi-nii."_

 _Satisfied, he nodded to the trio and left them to their devices. Thinking about the creep brought back a slew of unpleasant memories. He didn't want to expose the younger trio to his rage. They didn't deserve that._

x

"Hey guys!" Naruto walked over to Team Ten and grinned. He nodded towards the fence surrounding the training ground, "You all ready for this?"

Ino had looked a little nervous early and the little power display from Anko didn't help on bit. Sakura wanted him to check up on their friend, so he was doing just that.

They made like talk, Naruto commenting at the right times and saying positive things until Ino looked more calm in her stance. Patting himself on the back mentally, he figured out it was time to move on. It was unfortunate he couldn't rope Shikamaru's team into their plan, but he could try to help them out a little.

He pulled a stack of explosive tags from his pack as well as map of the training ground and gave it to Shikamaru, "Here you go! Best of luck! And just so you know, those tags are a bit more explosive than normal store-bought ones! See you guys at the tower!" And then he bounded off.

Chouji watched the blond jog off, "Think they'll be okay?"

Shikamaru looked down at the map and tags then back at Naruto's retreating back, "As long as they're together, I'm sure they'll be fine."

x

 _"Shikamaru, you're gaping," Sasuke commented as looked at the Nara. It wasn't everyday they could be incited to such level of emotion. On top of losing at a strategy game._

 _Shikamaru stared down at the board, most of his pieces conquered by Naruto's. Of all people. His mind, without his damn permission, kept racing and racing. Where did he go wrong? How did he lose? To Naruto of all people!_

 _Sakura leaned forward on Naruto's back and reached out a hand to lift Shikamaru's chin, closing his mouth, "You're that shocked, huh? Your mother would love to see this, I bet," her eyes twinkled with amusement._

 _"How," Shikamaru stated in a tone unusual from his usual drawl. It almost sounded demanding._

 _Naruto smiled so wide his face almost hurt, "I've been practicing! Against Sasuke and Sakura-chan! The two of them combined are like one of you."_

 _Shikamaru almost doubted that statement. But then again, Sakura and Sasuke were academically brilliant._

 _"Together," Naruto grinned, "We can accomplish anything!"_

 _Shikamaru stared at the blond and sighed, conceding his defeat to Naruto. No, to his_ team _._

x

Sasuke looked up as the chuunin in the tent poked his head out, "Time to exchange your forms for scrolls!"

Groups lined up outside the tents, forms signed. Team Seven entered at their turn and handed over the forms. Sakura was pleasantly surprised to see Izumo and Kotetsu here too. "Just can't catch a break, huh?" She handed their forms to Izumo.

"You guys really going through with this? Good for you guys," he checked the forms and set them in the bin, reaching behind him to grab a Heaven scroll. Handing it to her, "Here you go."

Sakura accepted it and then passed it to Naruto. The chuunin watched with wonder as the blond stored it away in a seal on the inside of his elbow. The trio thanked the chuunin and exited the tent, walking to Gate 17 with their representative. Just to make sure no other teams tried anything before the thirty minutes were up.

They stopped in front of the gate and nodded to each other. The chuunin moved to stand in front of the gate and waited. At the half hour mark, he unlocked the gate and hearing Anko's declaration, the gates pushed open and the trio sprinted in.

Sasuke whistled a three-note tune and they came to a stop after another two kilometres in. Naruto suddenly declared a bathroom break and disappeared behind the trees. An Ame-nin disguised as the blond came out a moment later, pretending to be their friend. Sasuke rolled his eyes as the lousy trick and engaged him in a fight until the transformation was dropped.

Even then, Sasuke continued his assault, his eyes bleeding Sharingan red. He thrust a tanto into the Ame-nin's heart, "With or without a scroll, your team can't continue if you're dead!" He channeled fire elemental chakra into the blade and it quickly spread immense heat into the wound and beyond the inside of his body. Screaming at the pain, the foreign-nin disengaged and retreated.

The trio regrouped and Sasuke took a moment to scan the surroundings. Satisfied there was no one else nearby for the moment, they moved on. A little deeper into the forest, Sasuke gave a hand signal and the three dropped to the ground.

"I think we should establish a password," he stated and his friends eagerly agreed. The Uchiha went on to explain the password. A rather lengthy verse from a song. The group eyed the bamboo pipe skeptically and kept their faces passive at they saw it disappear from the corner of their eyes.

A moment later they were bombarded by a futon technique, separating Naruto from them. Another false Naruto appeared, giving the password word for word. Sasuke rolled his eyes heavenward, Honestly.

But the other two made no move to engage the foreign-nin who dropped their disguise to reveal the creepy Grass-nin from earlier.

Sakura turned her eyes heavenward, _The Gods are messing with us. Of all the creepers to run into..._

The Grass-nin pulled out the Earth scroll, delighted by the Konoha genin's gasps, "You want this, don't you?" Then she lifted it above her mouth, wrapped her tongue around it, and swallowed the scroll, "Let's begin that battle for the scrolls." She pulled at her one eye, releasing her killing intent.

 _How. About. No._

Sakura reached into her pouch and pulled out a few smoke bombs, deliberately throwing it at the space between them and the Grass-nin.

 _Peace. Out._

Sakura and Sasuke hightailed it out of there, the Uchiha leading them towards Naruto. They found him, or rather, a bunch of him covered in slime, standing beside an exploded snake.

 _Gross._

"Naruto, we gotta go, like, yesterday," Sakura pulled a scroll out as she got closer, releasing a torrent of water over all the Narutos, before the duo dropped down, scooped up the blond around the arms and hauled him back up into a sprint in the trees.

"What's happening?" Naruto asked.

"Snakes. Danger. Nii-san's warning," Sasuke clipped. Realization dawned on the blond's face. And then it was replaced with anger. The trio was forced to stop when another giant brown snake coiled quickly up a tree and lunged for them.

"Oh, piss off!" Sakura shouted as she back-flipped on to the ground and punched it with an extra push of earth chakra, sending sharp spikes shooting up from the ground, spearing the snake and ripping open as it continued it's strike. Up above, Sasuke threw kunai at the snake attached to chakra wire. He inhaled air and exhaled fire, hellbent on setting the damn thing on fire.

It collapsed over a thick branch and the creepy Grass-nin came out the side of the snake's body, like a freaking hatching chicken.

 _Wrong on so many levels._

The Grass-nin smirked as she stood on the branch as the snake slipped and dropped to the ground, dead. Part of his face had... melted? "Well done, but not good enough!" He executed a hand seal and his head shot forward as his neck stretched impossibly long like a snake, towards Sasuke, his canines clamping down on the boy's shoulders. Screaming in pain, Sasuke tried to bat the head away.

The Grass-nin let go and began retracting his neck.

Two people flash-stepped in front and behind Sasuke, the one in front poised with a tanto, the one behind grabbing the boy's shirt and pulling him into his chest plate. But before the first could strike, a sharp blade of wind-natured chakra sliced through the air, and right through the Grass-nin's neck.

Naruto breathed heavily from the side, his hands holding his staff.

Two more ANBU figures appeared at the blond and pinkette's side. Sasuke convulsed in the agent's arms, taking pity on the boy he pressed a pressure point sending him into unconsciousness.

The body of the grass-nin convulsed and then like a second skin, it slowly dropped like it was shedding, another body slowly standing, this time the face was much paler, but the eyes were the same eery yellow. "My name is Orochimaru, and that is a little parting gift for the young Uchiha."

"Go," the first ANBU with the tanto drawn commanded the genin, "Run." The genin nodded for no one's benefit as Sakura pulled Sasuke over her shoulder and joined Naruto in their escape past his guard. The agent raised his hands in a seal, sending the trees groaning as new branches extended, he was going to get this man, jail him, or kill him, he hadn't entirely decided yet.

The first agent's grip on his weapon tightened, his body thrumming with rage. Orochimaru made no move to engage in combat. He looked directly at the first agent, "My goal is complete, he will come to me for power. I have no business with you," and then he sunk into the ground, disappearing entirely.

"We must report this to the Hokage," the captain ordered and the team disappeared.

Night was fast approaching, and the genin were tired and scared beyond reason, but their legs kept moving and moving. They would not stop. Naruto faltered an fell to the ground ungraciously. Sasuke and Sakura dropped to the ground and staggered as they stood, "Time to call it a night, or we won't survive," Sakura said.

The duo managed to make their way under the roots of a tree, using the space as a shelter. She lowered Sasuke's body behind the thickest parts of the roots, effectively hiding him fromt sight. Sakura went through a string of hand seals, setting up layers of genjutsu to cover the clearing they were in, as well as the sheltered area itself. Wordlessly, Naruto moved out of the shelter and began setting up traps.

Sighing to herself, she looked down again and shifted the collar of his shirt to get a better look at the wound. She found a seal there. She etched the design into her mind. "Thank goodness," she breathed a sigh of relief as Sasuke turned into Sakura and then into mud and dissolved back into the ground.

She unzipped her top and pulled out the pendant with the Uzushio crest on it. She placed it on the floor and injected chakra into it, dispelling a plume of smoke and a dizzy Sasuke. She waited for the boy to orient himself. When Naruto came back and flopped to the ground joining them, Sasuke looked at his best friends, "Tell me what happened."

x

 _Team 7 stood outside Gate 12 and shared a look. Sasuke formed hand seals and transformed himself into a pendant, matching Naruto's necklace. Sakura picked him up and unzipped her top, putting the string over her head and around her neck, tucking the pendant into her bindings. She zipped her top back up and then formed hand seals, "Tsuchi bunshin no jutsu."_

 _An earth clone of Sakura rose from the ground and then she began layering genjutsu on top of the transformation technique to disguise the clone as Sasuke._

 _In theory, as long as she stayed near fake Sasuke, whoever was after them would sense Sasuke's chakra as well, because she was wearing real Sasuke._

x

Naruto returned and pulled out a bottle of chakra-infused ink, handing it over to her. She dipped a brush in it and motioned for the raven to remove his shirt. Sasuke pulled it over his head and watched as she drew the design on his shoulder, exactly where the clone had gotten it.

Sasuke tilted his head and mouthed, "We're begin watched."

Sakura returned the nod, she had a feeling that was the case. After all, the slimy snake delivered some kind of grand speech about Sasuke seeking him out for power, blah, blah, blah, Sound team to test him out, blah, blah, blah.

She made a sweeping gesture with her hand, _Genjutsu_. They reverted to their usual pattern and took shifts taking watch, Naruto being the first. Then he and Sasuke would transform into each other so it looked like Naruto took two shifts.

When the sun rose, the three were alert, their chakra recharged. They shared another nod and Sasuke lied back down as Naruto draped a wet towel over his head. Sasuke closed his eyes and feigned a fever. Sakura pressed on her eyes with the heels of her hand until Naruto nodded approvingly at her bloodshot look completed with black bags. She dispelled the genjutsu layers and Naruto walked out of the hunt first as she remained hunch over Sasuke's form.

"I'm going to look for food, maybe he'll wake up to the smell of charred fish," the blond announced as she took off to the trees, supposedly towards the river that ran through the forest.

Sakura blinked occasionally, feigning sleepiness. Ten minutes after Naruto disappeared, a squirrel ran into the area but Sakura snapped to attention and flung a kunai towards it, halting the squirrel in it's tracks. It scampered away quickly in another direction.

 _Thank goodness_ , she exhaled slowly, _I feel bad for it though, I hope someone finds it and peel off the explosive note._

Another hour passed by and she let her eyes lose focus here and there until the three watching them finally showed themselves.

"A no-sleep lookout huh?" the middle one said as Sakura gasped and turned her head to look at them, "No matter. Wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him."

Sakura crawled out of the shelter and stood tall, "You'll have to get past me first, though. I already know Orochimaru is behind this." She eased into her favourite stance, "Come at me."

"A fool's last words!" the other guy with the _DeathDeathDeath_ shirt stated, "I'll kill you and then Sasuke."

The three leaped into the air and Sakura triggered the most obvious traps after they detected the other obvious trap. _Show me your skills._

Dosu placed a palm on the trunk and blasted it to pieces with a push of chakra and a hand seal. "You should learn to put in more effort!"

Sakura saw his extended arm after the trunk split in half, _Sound, sound, sound... air...vibrations. Fuuton?_

She pulled her fist back, ready to break the ground as soon as they landed but Lee appeared out of no where, knocking the Sound genin in different directions, " _Konoha Senpu!_ " Sakura kept the chakra at the ready just in case. Lee landed beside her, "Did somebody say 'effort'?"

Sakura felt her eye twitch. Sasuke, play possum on the ground, felt his eye twitch. Not that it was unwelcome, but, "Lee-san, what are you doing here?"

Rock Lee let the squirrel on his shoulder run off, "Whenever you're in trouble, I'll come running. Is what I want to say, but it was because of that squirrel," he turned to the sound genin, "How could you do such a horrible thing to an innocent creature."

Zaku offered the Konoha duo a cruel smile, "It's just a rodent, fool." Dosu leaned forward and then darted towards Lee.

But Sakura pulled her leg up before stomping her foot on the ground creating fissures in the Earth, Dosu lost his balance and Lee flash-stepped under the Sound-nin, kicking up and sending him into the sky. Lee jumped up after him, wrapping Dosu in his bandages before turning him over in a spinning, rapid descent to the ground, " _Omote Renge!_ "

They landed and he backed away, but Dosu got up unscathed. Lee sucked his teeth, Zaku had done something to cushion the fall. Dosu got up and charged at Lee again, attacking with his right arm and although Lee dodged, Sakura felt the air pulse around Dosu's arm. And sure enough, Lee dropped to his knees, cradling his left ear as it bled. "There's no avoiding my attacks," Dosu crowed.

Then like some soap opera villain, he went on to explain the mechanics of his weapon. Sakura cringed, _How high is his ego to boast and explain his assets. What an idiot._ Even Zaku chimed in with his two cents on his own abilities _. Arrogance will be your downfall._

Sakura glanced between the three opponents before making up her mind, she charged at Zaku. The boy raised his arms in preparation to blast her with compressed air when two rose from the ground and joined her at the sides. The clones moved ahead and Zaku blasted them, but they turned back into mud, the heavy substances all over his hands, crawling into the holes. Sakura was right behind her clones and she shot her hand forward, grabbing his wrists, squeezing with medical chakra.

Zaku screamed in agony and kicked at her stomach to wrench himself free. Sakura backed away a few paces, her goal achieved. She had shattered every bone in his arms to pieces. If he didn't reach the tower and get aid, if his teammates didn't know how to fix him, his career as a ninja was as good as done.

She grimaced internally, the child part of her didn't want it to be this way, but the shinobi in her knew it had to be done.

Without pause she went after the girl next, her skills were an unknown factor, but Sakura wasn't going to give her any chance to show off. She closed in and feinted last second, flash stepping behind Kin and paralyzing her from the neck down with medical chakra.

Last was Dosu, but before she realized it, he was already behind her. She substituted herself just in time and reappeared back in front of the shelter. She turned to look at Lee, knocked out on the ground. Damn it.

"A medic huh," Dosu contemplated his opponent. For a pink-haired girl, she should have been unassuming. But the twerp knew medical ninjutsu despite being a newbie genin. The information he had been given wasn't enough.

Sakura felt it unnecessary to respond. She advanced on him, reaching into her pouch as she closed the distance. She drew her fist back and Dosu prepared to counterattack with the device on his arm. Instead she threw the smoke bombs in her head directly at his chest and they exploded as she substituted herself before Dosu could generate a sound wave.

The Sound genin hacked and coughed as he inhaled the smoke, the bandages around his mouth doing little to filter the smoke. His eyes watered and even before Sakura reappeared again, he had dropped to his knees before slumping to the ground altogether. "Wh-wh-wha" he stuttered, his tongue loose and his mouth numb.

Naruto dropped down from the trees, generating a gust of wind to remove the lingering smoke. "Poison," he pointed out happily as he nudged the other boy with his foot, just to make sure he was down for the count. He proceeded to frisk Dosu while Sakura moved over to check Kin before moving onto Zaku. He had passed out from the pain. Eventually Naruto shouted, "Aha!" as he pulled out an Earth scroll and pocketed it away.

Together they emptied the Soun-nin's tools and took everything that was useful. Naruto walked over to pulled their packs on to his back and then, snickering, picked up Sasuke in a princess carry. "Come on, let's beat it."

Sakura put one kunai on the ground, "Hopefully you and her won't die before the effects wear off. At this rate," her eyes glanced over at Zaku's form, "his career as a shinobi is over."

She pulled Lee over her shoulders in a fireman carry and jumped into the trees joining her team. They sprinted a fair distance before Sasuke opened his eyes and gave the blond a withering glare, "Put. Me. Down."

Naruto grinned and dropped his arms to his sides, effectively dropping Sasuke who caught on the tree branch and swung around to cuff the blond in the head, "Really?" The blond shrugged in response.

Sasuke took over with carrying Lee and they continued their run until they arrived at the river. "Let's stop here and get some food, maybe wake Lee up and see if we can get him back to his team," the raven suggested.

Naruto stripped down to his shorts in a flash and jumped onto the shallow water, his staff at the ready. He eyed the fish and began spearing them with record speed.

Sasuke laid Lee down by their packs and went to gather wood for a fire while Sakura checked the other boy over. Hands glowing green, she leaned over him, hands at his chest, the chakra sending information back to her brain.

Lee stirred and the foreign chakra, foreign but not entirely unwelcome. It felt warm and kind, the chakra he was feeling. Pleasant. He liked it, it made the pain go away. "Lee-san," Sakura addressed him when she noticed he was waking, "Are you all right?"

The boy attempted to nod but winced when he felt pain in his left ear. "Hold on," Sakura placed a hand by his ear and imagined her chakra healing his ear drum, repairing the shattered membrane. Lee slowly relaxed as he felt the pain ebb.

She pulled away when she was done and felt him sit up. Sasuke came back and dropped the wood in a pile, he executed a simple jutsu to get the fire going and turned to Lee, "Are you okay with fish?" The older boy nodded.

Naruto walked up to them, his staff over his shoulder, the entirety of the pole speared with fish, "I think this is enough!" He grabbed one end of the pole and pushed down, removing all the fish from his weapon, grimacing he looked at the weapon, "I'm going to go clean this off," and walked back to the stream.

Sasuke turned to Lee, "Are you going to be able to find Neji and TenTen?" Lee looked up at Sasuke, a little baffled. He thought the Uchiha boy had a fever. "Are you sure you're okay to be walking around, Sasuke-kun? I thought you were sick?"

Sasuke tilted his head in contemplation before finally deciding on an answer, "It was an act. Don't ask why."

Lee nodded and picked up one of the longer sticks and began to spear the fish on them. Together they made a make shift holder on either side of the fire for the fish-covered stick and waited while the fish cooked. "I've already missed the meet-up time," Lee took a drink from his bottle as he looked up at the sky, "I'm sure they will come find me."

Right as Lee finished his first fish, his teammates showed up to claim him. Neji seemed mighty frustrated with Lee for not meeting up at the designated place and time. Naruto mediated and urged the other two to join them for dinner. TenTen chipped in and with their combined efforts, they managed to get Neji to sit down and eat a fish or two.

It was still early in the afternoon as they got rid of the fire and refilled their water bottles. Team Gai parted ways with them afterwards and ran back into the woods. Meanwhile Team Seven unanimously decided to hightail to the tower now that they had both scrolls in their possession.

Performing hand seals to remove the pressure of the weights, they made haste to the tower, arriving just before the sun set. They entered through the doors to an empty hallway with a painting hung on the far wall.

Reading the inscription, Naruto pulled out the scrolls form his tattoo storage seals. Before he handed one to Sasuke he decided to get in one last dig, "Just wanted to say, third time's the charm, Sasuke."

The middle child gave the youngest an odd look, "What are you talking about."

Naruto's mouth twitched, "Cause you know, back there, you were basically a sitting _duck_."

Sasuke bristled, "What are you trying to say?" Their first meeting as children came back to him in an unwanted flash. The hairs on his arms stood when he thought back to that horrid nickname.

Naruto mouth morphed into a grin, "Well, you know the saying, 'duck, duck, goose.' Maybe you'd have more luck as a goose, you know." He dodged Sasuke's swipe, "I mean, your mouth is already pretty small cause you don't talk that much," he dodged another swipe before Sakura smacked him upside the head. "Knock it off. Let's finish this test already."

"Right," Naruto tossed the scroll to his friend and together they opened the scroll, tossing it in front of them as the seal activated, summoning Iruka. He played messenger and then sent the genin on their way. Further inside the tower, they were directed to one of the empty bunk rooms. They sat down gingerly. A few minutes later, Kakashi knocked and entered the room.

He smiled at his team, "Glad you guys made it." He pulled out seals and placed them on the wall, activating the soundproof barrier. "So, how did it go?" he wanted to be debriefed.

Sasuke recounted the events from start to finish with Sakura interjected here and there on bits he missed out on. Sasuke showed Kakashi the design of the seal Orochimaru had imprinted him with. The jounin sat down beside him and nodded, it was certainly a design he had never seen before.

"Well since it's fake, I won't know what the seal actually does," Kakashi pondered, "But I'll take an educated guess. It's a curse seal so it could have been designed to make the possessor stronger, but at a cost. Madness? Addiction? Who knows. For now we'll just keep it on your neck until the end of the exams."

Sakura looked over at him, "About the Sound-nin, they didn't deny that they were being ordered around by Orochimaru." Kakashi hummed as he thought about that, "Don't worry, I've got an eye and two ears open on that end. Leave it to me."

He stood and moved to the door, "Showers are down the hall, to the right. Don't leave anything behind in this room since there's no key and you shouldn't trust an old lock anyways. But this room is designated as yours," he opened the door and tapped on the sign 'K-7'. "Rest well," Kakashi smiled at his students, "You've earned it. Three days, it's almost like a vacation!" He waved farewell to them and left them to their devices. He had some files to read.

x

 **Author:** Yay. Surprisingly wrote this all in one day. It is now midnight. I'm going to sleep. Assume all the canon-y bits happened, as in, Ino-Shika-Cho were totally hiding in the bushes etc. Yes Sasuke has the Sharingan now, I didn't get the chance to insert the flashback for that yet, but you'll probably get it in the next chapter. I was going to that as a basis to get Team Eight & Seven to work together, bringing in Team Ten as well, but then I was like 'nahh' and chucked that idea out the window and kept it simple. Besides, Team Eight was already pretty badass, making it to the tower earlier than Naruto and Shika's team.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 _"Sasuke," Kakashi addressed the boy as they waited for their ramen, "What are your thoughts on the Sharingan?"_

 _The raven pulled his chopsticks apart as he gave the man a strange look, "I don't need it to be strong. I mean, it's a boost to what I already have, but it's also a vice. A few of my clansmen have been blinded from overuse."_

 _Kakashi nodded, "Do you know how it is awakened?"_

 _Teuchi set down the bowls in front of the team and turned back to the stove. Sasuke picked off the toppings systemically eating it, "When we undergo extreme stress or emotion from a single moment." Kakashi nodded._

 _"For the next test in the exams, I think it would be best if you had the Sharingan," Kakashi offered as he stirred his noodles. Sakura flicked her gazes between the two while Naruto continued to eat, ordering his second bowl already._

 _Sasuke was silent as he began eating the noodles. He finished the noodles, leaving only the broth. As he stared down into the bowl at his own reflection, he sighed, "I've thought of that too." You know, after the whole 'Kabuto is a spy' thing._

 _Kakashi placed his chopsticks on top of his emptied bowl and thanked Teuchi. The jounin turned to Sasuke, "Since we don't have a whole lot of time, I think I know how we can trigger it. I'll go ahead and speak to your parents," he placed down some paper bills, "Come when you're ready. And Naruto," the blond looked up, his mouth full of noodles, "Maximum three bowls. Any more and you're on your own."_

 _With that the scarecrow left for the Uchiha main house._

x

On her first day at the tower, the third day of the test, Sakura quietly left her assigned room to use the showers.

Once she felt clean and refreshed, she pack up her bag and eased back into the hallway, a little weary. Everything was quiet.

She walked down the hall, turned the corner and almost bumped into other nin. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked, her systems still a little high-strung after their encounter with Orochimaru.

"Don't worry about it," Kankuro muttered. She looked at him and then saw the duffle bag in his right hand, "Heading to the showers?"

The boy nodded but made no move to engage in small talk, or leave. Maybe he was hoping she would leave first. Sakura took the moment of (awkward) silence to run her eyes down his person. Kankuro felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but he refused to shiver like a wuss.

"Well, just be careful," she cheerfully stated as she purposefully gave him a wide berth walking around him, "The water's really cold!" And then she turned another corner, disappearing from his sight. She heard the boy sigh as he continued on his way.

 _A little too early to start messing with the competition?_

x

"You."

Naruto turned his head to look behind him, "Oh hey!" he turned the rest of his body to face his visitor, "I heard you guys were the first to clear the test!"

Gaara gave the blond a blank look.

Temari poked her head out of the door, "Gaara, it's getting late." The boy tilted his head to acknowledge her.

Naruto realized with a start that he was in front of the Suna team's door. He shouldn't have let his thoughts wander like that. "Well then," Naruto smiled at the other boy, "I'm sorry for blocking the way. Have a good night Gaara!" And he left.

Gaara watched him until he was out of sight before retiring to his room.

Naruto laced his hands behind his head. For some reason, it felt like he knew the guy. Maybe they shared a past life or something.

He shrugged. Might as well spend some more time convincing the Kyuubi before he turned in for the night.

x

Sasuke left their room and walked downstairs to the canteen. One of the chuunin handed him three energy bars and a jug of water. Sasuke thanked the lady and made his way back.

Halfway up the stairs, he saw Kabuto coming down. "Hello there, Sasuke-kun," he said.

Sasuke dipped his head in greeting, purposefully giving the older boy a glimpse of his 'seal'. Kabuto winced in sympathy, "I heard about what happened from. It's most unfortunate. Does it bother you at all?"

Sasuke dropped his gaze to the lower right, "In the beginning it burned, but.. whatever it is, it seems to have settled. If it reacts on its own again, Kakashi will seal it."

Kabuto nodded, "I see," he pushed up his glasses, "That's good to hear." He slowly made his way down the steps, passing Sasuke, "Take care."

Sasuke watched Kabuto until he was out of sight. Satisfied with his performance, he made his way back slowly, keeping up his 'still drained' persona in case Kabuto was watching.

x

After the five day deadline was up, the genin gathered in the main hall by the proctor's instructions. Line up by team, they stood before the proctors, their instructors, as well as the Hokage himself.

Hayate appeared at the end of the Hokage's speech, declaring himself as judge for third exam. He coughed and Sakura thought the tokujo looked more haggard than when she had first met him.

"Because of the number of remaining participants, a preliminary round will be held to further reduce the numbers."

Some genin started to voice their protests.

"It is the rules of the Chuunin Exams," Hayate remarked lightly between coughs and the crowd quieted.

"It's individual battles for now on. So feel free to raise your hand if you want to drop out."

Sasuke flinched and gabbed his left shoulder, Sakura leaned forward in concern. Kabuto began to lift his hand, but somebody else beat him to it. "We withdraw!" Kin and Dosu from the Sound team said loud and clear. Their remaining teammate's arms were beyond repair. This dropped the total participants down to eighteen.

Hayate looked from one end of the crowd to the other, "I guess everyone else is choosing to stay then."

Sakura dropped her hold on the chakra string connected to Kabuto's arm band, no longer needing it.

"Then the preliminary will now begin. Please look at the monitor above. It will decide the match by random generation. All others please proceed to the upper floor."

x

Yoroi versus Shino. Both had one common ability, the skill to suck chakra out of their opponents. Unfortunately for Yoroi, the sheer number in Shino's swarm overpowered his own ability limited to taking chakra with his hands.

The hive swarmed and coated Yoroi's entire body, sucking him almost dry. Shino raised his hands and held them up in front of him, commanding his bugs to return. They flew away, back to their hive and Yoroi dropped, clinging to what little life he had left.

"Winner, Aburame Shino."

x

Sasuke versus Ino. Sasuke had to play like he didn't want to risk tapping into his chakra. At this fight suited him just well. He was faster than Ino with his weights on, he would be even faster without them on, and that was just the ones on his ankles and shoes. He would have to apologize to Ino later, but he was going to keep it strictly taijutsu and end this quick.

He charged forward, not giving her a chance to even think about using her Mind Transfer technique. He brought out his tanto to slash upward, Ino pulled out a kunai just in time to meet his strike and she backed away. But he was faster, he flash-stepped into her personal space and brought the tanto up again to force her to defend, but feinted at the last moment, pivoted and knocked her out with a chop to the neck.

Ino slumped forward and Sasuke caught her, lowering her gently to the ground.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke."

x

Naruto versus Temari. Two wind-natured chakra users against each other. Temari brought out her giant fan early on, tapping the base on the ground, the fan closed. "Let's see if you can force me to use all three stars. When you do, it'll be over for you."

Naruto brought out his staff in it's short form, so it looked like a wand, and advanced on her. She dodged easily enough, the first few strikes, and then with a flick of his wrist it turned into a staff and he thrust it forward with wind-natured chakra.

Temari jumped back but her top suffered a rip just below the chest. Scowling, Temari opened the fan to the first star and began retaliating. It was a back and forth dance between the two. Then Naruto decided to up the ante with his favoured trick, "Taju Kage Bunshin!" dozens of Narutos popped up, each brandishing their own packet of explosive notes.

Temari opened her fan to the second star and swung it in a round arc, popping all the clones and their cloned explosive notes. "Going to have to try harder than that if you want to beat me!"

Naruto nodded to himself enthusiastically, "You are totally right."

They danced back and forth a bit more throwing wind techniques at each other before Naruto jumped into the air, "Then how about this!" He threw smoke bombs on to the floor.

He made a familiar hand seal and Temari braced herself.

But nothing could have braced her for what was to come next.

"Reverse Harem technique!"

A bunch of nude, handsome men came out of the smoke towards Temari. Overwhelmed, she lost her grip on the fan and it dropped to the floor with a clank. Distracted, she didn't even notice the chakra chains wrapped around her as the smoke cleared.

The nude handsome men crowded her, whispered who knows what into her ears. But her face burned redder by the second before she ultimately shouted, "I yield! Make it stop!"

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

All the nude, handsome men popped out of existence, the last one kissing her on the cheek and thanking her before popping too. The chakra chains disappeared as Naruto gave a whoop and turned to give his teammates upstairs the peace sign.

x

Hyuuga Neji versus Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto winced, he had never seen this side of Neji before. The blond watched silently as the older Hyuuga psychologically tormented his younger cousin, the heir apparent. Hinata tried so hard to make herself smaller. So small that no one would look at her. Especially not the way Neji was looking at her.

With hate.

"You know deep down you can't change yourself."

A sharp noise of twisting metal up above caught the Hyuugas' attention. Sakura relaxed her grip from the railing leaving a noticeable dent, but she looked over, Lee had pounded his portion of the railing rather hard as well. "Of course she can!" Lee shouted.

"You don't have the privilege of deciding what a person is like, Hyuuga," Sasuke state nonchalantly as he leaned against the railing with his side. Kiba and Naruto joined in to cheer on their friend, "Give it to him, Hinata!"

Hinata tightened her resolve and relaxed into a stance well known to her family. Neji did the same. The fight began.

Everyone up above watched transfixed by the Gentle Fist dance between two family members. One main, one branch.

Sakura scoffed, Clans were stupid for forcing a caste system on their own kin. _And the result_ , she looked down at the fighting cousins, _is this_.

Hinata took one hit after another. Naruto wanted to think Neji was just lucky, but he knew that wasn't the case, the boy was skilled. She fell for the third time and struggled to stand. But Hayate called the match for her own safety, "Winner, Hyuuga Neji."

She stood and Neji couldn't comprehend it, "Surrender, you will only suffer for it."

Hinata coughed up some blood, her breathing growing heavier, "You're wrong, Neji-niisan, I can tell you're suffering more than I am. You're the one who is more torn up over the fate of the two branches of our family."

Infuriated, Neji rushed with the intent to kill. In a flash the Konoha jounin each had a hand on the boy, restraining him while the genin of Team Seven had flash-stepped around Hinata to protect her. Sasuke caught her just as she fell and began coughing violently. He laid her down and Sakura gave Neji a scathing look before turning to diagnose their friend.

"She's going into ventricle fib! She needs medical attention, now!" Sakura shouted and Kurenai yelled at the medical team to hurry their sorry rears. Hinata was placed on the stretcher and carried away for emergency care.

Sakura watched Hinata until she was out of sight. Her eyes narrowed, was Neji trying to kill her?

She turned and stood side by side with her teammates and watched as Gai scolded his student. She clenched her fists and shared a look with her boys. If one of them made it to the third test with Neji, they were going to let him have it.

x

Kabuto versus Sakura. The two looked at each other as Hayate coughed to the side. "Let's begin the next round. On my mark," he raised his hand, "Go!" and dropped it. Neither opponent moved.

" _All you need to do_ ," Kakashi instructed inside their sealed room, " _Is give us a reason to cart him out via medical team. ANBU will take care of the rest._ "

Sakura sighed internally, she had no idea how high Kabuto's level really was, and she didn't want to showcase all of her skills, but she had no choice.

Kabuto raked his eyes up and down her body, not unlike what she had done to Kankuro a few days prior. She felt... repulsed. In the corner of her mind, she sent a tiny apology to the Suna-nin if that was what he felt when she had done it. Or maybe it was the knowledge that the teen before her was a spy, and enemy, that is disgusted her to be looked at that way.

She was sure it was nothing sexual. At the very least it was a tactic to try and unnerve her. But she had been practicing with Sasuke. And time spent around the Uchiha main family. Her face was impassive, betraying none of her emotions. She wouldn't given the bastard the satisfaction of seeing her shiver.

Itachi would be proud. Shisui would be shedding tears. Literal ones.

She sent a trickle of chakra to her ears and zoned in on his heartbeat, his breathing, the sounds of metal clinking around in his pouch with every shift.

She flexed and wiggled the fingers in her right hand, and Kabuto acted. He rushed at her with shuriken, throwing them at her and then creating clones to increase his attack. But Sakura was no fool, she pulled out her kusarigama and swung the chain dispelling the first two clones on impact and latching on the third Kabuto. Before she could pull him forward, he replaced himself with a log.

He dropped down from the ceiling with kunai at the ready but Sakura had already replaced the kusarigama, wiggling her free fingers and dodging the attack. She pulled out a handful of smoke bombs and threw them on the floor at Kabuto's feet right before he landed.

 _I dare you to breathe that in._

Hidden in the smoke she burrowed into the floor quickly, replacing herself with an earth clone and waited for her chance, wiggling her fingers again as she muted her chakra signature to that of a bug.

Kabuto hacked and coughed, performing a quick fuuton technique to clear the air. His vision cleared and he saw Sakura standing, waiting for him to see her. She smiled and rushed at him, flinging a pouch at the older teen. He slashed it with his kunai, releasing a confetti or small papers.

With explosive seals written on it.

Kabuto's eyes widened as she made the seal to detonate them all. "Just kidding," she flash-stepped into his space as he started his jump backwards and she brought a hand, sharpened with chakra, swiping at his legs.

Kabuto dropped to an undignified heap on the floor. "Time to light it up!" Sakura sang as he struggled to stand, but his legs were useless, the muscles and tendons cut with chakra scalpels. _This was not on her information card!_

His breathing grew more rapid, his heart beat faster than it should, his hands began to tremble. _She-! She-!_

Hands erupted from the floor on either side of Kabuto, wrapping around his wrists and dragging them down in the the floor until they were stuck in the ground, the twist extremely uncomfortable on his shoulders. She continue to pull until they dislocated. He didn't have the voice to shout.

A moment later his legs were dragged down as well to the knees. It made for a rather comical sight to the viewers on the second floor.

Sakura reemerged beside him and without wasting a single moment, slapped a piece of paper on his face and activated it, paralyzing him.

Restrained, paralyzed, and unable to access much of his chakra, Sakura looked at Hayate and he called the match, "Winner, Haruno Sakura."

Her friends cheered as both Kakashi and Kabuto's jounin instructor flash-stepped to join them. "My, my Sakura-chan, you've done quite the number on Kabuto-kun." He placed a hand over her shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. _Good job._

The monitor on the wall generated another pair of names. Kakashi smiled at his fortune and looked at the other man. "Hirano-kun, I'll make sure Kabuto-kun gets treatment. Why don't you remain here to support your remaining genin?"

Unable to turn down his senior, Hirano nodded, bowing lightly to express his thanks. Kakashi turned and waved the medical team over. They rolled open the stretcher and proceeded to pull the boy's limbs out from the earth. One of them leaned forward towards the seal but Kakashi stopped the medic, "Might not be a good idea, he'll feel all that pain again, on top of whatever poison my student concocted."

The medic agreed warily and looked at the small pink-haired girl, "You wouldn't happen to have an antidote on you would you?"

Sakura bowed apologetically, "I didn't have the antidote ready on me, the notes on it are back at home. It's non-lethal.. I think. But his body will have a hard time flushing it out naturally." The medics nodded, "We'll see what we can do in the mean time."

They carried Kabuto out, Kakashi following behind them.

Little did anyone know, Kabuto would be transported to T & I's holding cell instead of the hospital.

x

With the final matches concluded, all the genin who won their match were asked to come to the ground floor, lining up before the Hokage. Sarutobi gave the gathered bunch a quick sweeping gaze. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kankuro, Gaara, Shikamaru, Shino, Neji, and Kiba were the finalists. Sarutobi beamed with pride for his Konoha genin.

He explained the third and final test, a big tournament-style event for the daimyo and potential clients to watch. They had one month from today to prepare for it.

Anko came forward with a box, "Draw your number so we can decide the match line-ups." One by one, the genin withdrew a piece of paper. Taking turns reading it out loud, Ibiki wrote the names on the board.

Group A  
Sakura versus Kankuro  
Kiba versus Neji

Group B  
Gaara versus Sasuke  
Shikamaru versus [Naruto versus Shino]

With the announcement, everyone was dismissed. Team Seven shared a look, they had one month to train, and they were going to make the most of it. They were training nuts after all.

x

Sasuke trained with Itachi and Shisui whenever they were free. Due to the heightened security for the exams, his brother, cousin, and just about every able shinobi was on standby either in or near the village. Sometimes they patrolled at the same time, sometimes it was a rotating shift.

Sasuke was very grateful for their help. He desperately needed to build up his stamina and further increase his speed if he had any hopes of reaching Lee's level in that particular domain. Even now he cringes when he recalls the taijutsu specialist's match against Gaara.

And he had the worst of luck being matched up against the Suna nin for the first match of the third and final test. He already knew what he was going to do.

He was going to showcase what he had learned in the month of training, because the audience expected a show. But he knew he wasn't going to win the match.

"Nii-san," Sasuke turned to his brother during break. Itachi finished his water bottle and then gave his baby brother his full attention, "Yes Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked out in to the yard, "Jinchuurikis and tailed beasts are powerful, right?" Itachi nodded.

"And Kages want to keep control of that power, right?" Itachi nodded again.

"So it would be best if the jinchuuriki is closely related to the Kage of the village, right?" Itachi paused but dipped his head in acknowledgment of that fact.

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up Sasuke? Is there something about Naruto?" Itachi watched his younger brother out of the corner of his eye.

"No. It's not Naruto that I'm asking about. But... the Suna genin," Sasuke summarized the match between Gaara and Lee for his brother.

"Ah," Itachi noted, "I can see why you would be worried. As far as I know, Gaara-kun and his teammates, or rather siblings, are the Kazekage's children."

Sasuke, "His control over the sand... or rather his lack of control over the sand doesn't suggest a bloodline limit since his siblings don't use it..." the boy drew his own conclusion without having to voice it.

 _Gaara's a jinchuuriki_. And already had access to his tailed beast's powers. He was further along in that domain than Naruto.

He was going to lose the match. And oddly enough, he didn't feel any negativity accompanying that realization.

But he was still going to give it his best shot.

Itachi reached out a hand and ruffled his brother's hair. "You have calculated scenarios and realized that you are unlikely to win. That is a good quality to have for someone who is trying to reach chuunin. Someone who rushes into battle without thought of the outcome, without thought to strategy and victory, without thought to the lives of the team, is unfit to become chuunin after all."

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi poked his brother in the forehead, "I've seen that face before. Don't fret, little brother. I have a few tricks that might help you get past the five minute mark of your match."

The brothers stood and resumed training.

Besides, he needed to be prepared for the real main event.

x

"Now then Naruto," Kakashi looked over at the boy as they stood in their usual training ground, "since you have a technique from your mother's side down, I think it's time to teach you something from your father's side."

Naruto perked at this, "Really?! Are you serious?"  
The older man nodded, "Of course. I have a few techniques of his that I was planning to teach you eventually. You've got the chakra reserves for it, so I figured, why not?" His signature smile followed that.

Naruto eyed his teacher suspiciously, "There's a catch isn't there?"

Kakashi chuckled, and pinched his fingers together, "Just a small one."

The blond folded his arms together, "So, what is it?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "The truth is, I can't teach you for the entire month. I've actually arranged for a second sensei for you for the last two weeks before the tournament." He watched the blond for any signs, but the boy gave him none.

"On that bright side! It's that seal master I was telling you about, so he can help you with the other issue!" Kakashi noted, pointing a finger at the boy's stomach. Understanding dawned on Naruto's face, "Why didn't you just say so, Kakashi-sensei! Let's get started already!"

Kakashi smiled again, his sensei's son was truly a good kid. He pulled out an old notebook and a three pronged kunai with a seal wrapped around the handle, "This was one of your old man's favourite techniques, it's called the Hirashin and it goes a little something like this..."

x

"Dad, are you sure I'm allowed to be in here?" Sakura followed after her father as he walked further into the main hall that enshrined the kami. Sakura glanced around, she usually never ventured this far into the building. She only ever cleaned the front and sides as well as the fence.

"It's perfectly fine! There's something that I needed to fetch," he walked up to a door and slid the screen open, "Aha!" he shouted. He pulled out two giant scrolls that were leaning against the back wall.

"Here we are," he removed the rope around the bigger one and unfurled it as Sakura could only gape at the beauty of the scroll, white with red and silver rings near the edges. Kizashi laid it out on the floor and ran his fingers down the column with his name and finger print on it.

"What is it?" Sakura asked as she kneeled down across from him, the scroll between them. Kizashi smiled, "This my dear child, is a summoning scroll, handed down through our family for generations."

Sakura started, "We have an animal summon!?"

Kizashi smiled as his mind took him back down memory lane, "Not necessarily. If anything, it's more like they have a human summon," he chuckled, knowing what she was about to go through. He pointed to the empty column beside his, "We think it's time for you to sign this," he looked his daughter with love and pride, "You've worked hard to get where you are today, and this is simply the next step if you'll have them."

Sakura looked down at the scroll for a moment before determination filled her eyes. She pulled a kunai out from her pouch and cut her index finger, writing her full name on the parchment before dotting her fingers with blood and leaving her prints below her name. "Well done!" Kizashi praised as he rolled the scroll back up and placed it back behind the screen door. He kept the second scroll with him though.

He motioned for her to follow as he made his way back out, "Of course, I don't think they'll be happy unless we do the next bit right...here." He stopped in front of the sacred tree and unfurled the second scroll. There was an intricate seal placed in the center.

"I know you only have a month to train, and I already mentioned this to them. They're convinced you can complete your training in half the time or less," Kizashi babbled. She wasn't even sure who 'they' were. Perhaps he was referring to the summons. "Remember dear, we love you! Learn as much as you can while you're there."

Sakura didn't get a chance to process it as Kizashi gently pushed her to stand on top of the seal and then it activated and she disappeared from Konoha without a trace.

x

"Ah, the boy from Kikyo Pass," Inoichi said as he entered the room and sat opposite of the boy. Unlike Inoichi though, Kabuto had been cuffed and sealed, the remnants of Sakura's poison still working away at his system. Ibiki had been given the antidote but he had been giving the young man small doses to keep it from taking over completely.

"Good timing," Shikaku straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall. He glanced at the spy, "He's not spilling much, but you should have no trouble getting what you need." He pat his friend on the shoulder and made his way out.

Inoichi took his time reading through the file that was left on the desk between them. He tapped the papers in thought, "I see. I think I have a rough idea of where to begin." He stood and walked around the table to stand behind Kabuto. He placed a hand on the captive's head and began to probe his mind.

x

Kakashi leisurely made his way through the Jounin Headquarters. He stopped in front of double doors at the end of the hallway and quietly slipped in. Several jounin had already gathered, some giving him dry looks. Typical Kakashi and his tardiness, is probably what they all thought.

He eased himself on to on of the open cushions beside Asuma. The Hokage entered not a moment later and sat with his advisers, his genin teammates, at the table before them. Seated, they began a long meeting about the events of the chuunin exams, Orochimaru's appearance, and the possible connection to the Sound Village.

"Even if it is Orochimaru, their village is too new and young to have enough forces to rival ours, surely?" on the jounin behind Anko asked.

"Are you suggesting that another village is cooperating with them?" another jounin closer to the Hokage said.

Sarutobi mulled over this. He should know better by now, 'never say never'. It was a horrible thought, but it was certainly a possibility. He turned his head towards Shikaku, "I want eyes on the remaining foreign genin teams and their instructors, as well as a list of villages and their data, as well as the Five Daimyo's most recent conduct in relation to their responding villages."

Shikaku nodded once, stood and left the room. Guess he won't be training Shikamaru this week.

x

 **Author's Note:** It occurred to me while writing this chapter, that according to Narutopedia, Kabuto was 19-20 at this point in the canon, and his teacher has no actual name. I googled the Japanese term from Plain Guy, because that's what he is, and the result was Hirano-otoko. So I named him Hirano. A lot of cannon fodder I couldn't use because I'm diverged a little bit.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

 _Where am I?_

Sakura laid flat on her back, her eyes clenched shut. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that her dad had her reverse summoned to... who knows where. She stilled and listened, not a single sign of wild life; no chirps, no hums, no chatter.

Only the breeze running through the trees. She peaked one eye open, and then slowly opened the other one. She looked up and up at the sky. Clear and blue, not a single cloud in sight.

She sat up and looked around. She had landed in some kind of clearing, and she had was lying on some kind of stone slab. She got up and stepped back to look at the stone, lines etched into the surface. A summoning seal. The daddy's girl part of her half-hoped her father would follow after her, but it seemed like it wasn't meant to be.

She checked herself and her gear and then decided that she might as well greet her host. The mountain side to the east looked like the place to go.

Before she even made it to the edge of the clearing, she heard rustling just beyond the direction she was going to head in. She stilled and waited. The moving shape in the tall grass came closer and closer until the rustling stopped and an animal nose poked out from the base of the grass.

Followed by the was the rest of the snout and eventually the entire head. Sakura stared with no small amount of fascination. This canine was beautiful. Black fur, one blue eye, one yellow eye, a scar on the left ear.

And also huge, she noted when the canine walked into the clearing, its body in clear sight. He or she was definitely much bigger than Kuromaru. She gulped. Hopefully he or she wasn't planning to eat her. She didn't taste great, too stringy.

The wolf looked at her, caught her eyes and she instinctively looked away first. Pleased, the wolf called out to her in her tongue, "Are you a child of the Haruno?"

Surprised she could only nod before a voice in the back of her mind, which sounded oddly like her mother's, reminded her to use her words, "Yes, I am. My father is Haruno Kizashi, he... sent me here."

The wolf dipped his head in acknowledgment, "She has been expecting you. My name is Osamu. Follow me," he turned and left. Sakura jogged after the huge beast. His strides were much longer than hers, but the pace was easy enough.

An hour later they arrived in front of the mountain side. Without much warning, Osamu jumped up and started making his way up the side. He landed on a ledge higher up and looked down at her, "Use chakra if you must, we aim for the cave entrance higher up." Sakura quickly followed after him, using chakra only when necessary and made a quick climb.

When Osamu disappeared out of sight, she followed and pulled herself up on to a ledge and gaped at the cave entrance, the wolf nowhere in sight. A pair of mismatched eyes glowed from the dark entrance before disappearing and she rushed after him.

"Careful, little human," he stood still and she bumped into his side. She apologized and wished she had a flare to use. Osamu nudged her hand, "Hold on to me and I shall guide you. Do your best not to pull on my fur."

He guided her through a series of turns until she could see light up ahead. As she got closer, her eyes adjusted and she no longer needed to hold on to him. They reached the light and when she walked through, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness.

When her vision cleared, she was in awe.

At the back of the cavern was a waterfall, cascading down into a stream that looped around a giant tree and then kept running through an opening on the other side. A large opening in the ceiling allowed sunlight to fill the space. Everywhere there was green; trees, plants, flowers, and it was beautiful. Along the walls there were ledges, some with openings to other passages. She saw a few pups and other wolves resting up there.

One by one, they opened their eyes at the presence of a newcomer. She quickly looked away and stared at her sandals. Osamu brushed past her as he made his way further in, "Come."

She walked behind him as he made his way over the bridge towards the giant tree in the middle. He stopped at the other end of the bridge and motioned for her to continue. She stepped off the bridge and looked back at him, but he had already turned and laid down, effectively blocking her potential escape.

She continued forward until she reached the base of the tree. Unsure of what to do, she looked around before settling on looking up.

And again she was in awe at the pair of eyes that looked back at her from high up. On top of the fact that the eyes belonged to a big white wolf with beautiful red markings.

"Um, hello." Sakura chanced. She bit her bottom lip, unsure. She startled when the being above her huffed. She was being laughed at, and her cheeks flushed red.

The white wolf got up and made a graceful leap to the ground, turning to face the girl. The wolf dipped her head and Sakura bowed hers, deeply.

 _We meet at last, Child._

Sakura blinked. The wolf's mouth hadn't moved, but she heard the voice clear as day in her mind. It sounded warm, feminine, and motherly. She looked at the wolf again and this time it's mouth did open a little, and out came a huff that sounded like a laugh. Sakura blushed.

 _I am simply Ookami. And you?_

Realizing belatedly that she was being a little rude, she bowed respectfully, "My name is Haruno Sakura, Ookami-sama." Amusement flickered in the beast's eyes. _Of course you are child._

Ookami turned in a circle and dropped gracefully to the ground, her tails swished lazily. _Come and sit with me, we have much to discuss._ And so Sakura joined the matron on the ground, at first she sat across from the wolf, but with a lazy sweep of her tails, Sakura found herself leaning against the matron's side, her fur crazy ridiculously soft and fluffy. She resisted the urge to pet the beast.

For hours they talked to each other, mostly Sakura telling stories of her adventures outside the village, or filling in gaps for Ookami when she had not been able to visit the human discretely. Sakura talked about the exams, about Sasuke, about Naruto and her parents. Eventually the sun began to set and the cavern grew darker. Another wolf, this one with orange-brown fur leaped down from one of the ledges higher up, a traditional lantern between his jaws. He water-walked over the stream, surprising Sakura before he stopped on their side of the water and lowered the lantern.

He bowed respectfully to Ookami, "For the human child, if she so chooses to use it."

Ookami tilted her head a fraction, _Child, meet Tadashi_.

Sakura stood up to face the newcomer and bowed politely, "Thank you Tadashi-san." Tadashi let out another huff that sounded like a laugh before he took a step back and sat back on his haunches. Sakura hesitated, Osamu didn't give off any bad vibes, and she was cool with that. But Tadashi... although he wasn't giving bad vibes either, there was something in his eyes that made her a little wary.

 _He will not bite, Child. His bark is worse than his bite, after all_.

Ookami's ability to talk telepathically must be a broad range broadcast or something because howls and barks of amusement came from all around. Sakura watched Tadashi curiously. If he was human, no doubt his ears would be burning red from embarrassment. Emboldened, she moved forward and collected the lantern, thanking him again.

Tadashi whipped his head to the side and deigned her with a scowl. She must have been tired and delirious because she thought it was kind of cute and stupidly reached out to ruffle the top of his head, much like Kakashi would do with her. Clearly surprised he ducked his head and backed away to the other side of the stream before he looked at her, affronted and bristling.

 _Tadashi_ , Ookami was very amused it seems, _has gynophobia, towards human women._

Understanding lit in Sakura's eyes as she took a few steps back and apologized, "I'm sorry."

It seems Haruno women, no matter the generation, are a force to be reckoned with.

Tadashi bristled, "Ookami-sama! Th-there's no need to talk about this!" Sakura watched him with an eyebrow raised. Maybe he had a traumatic experience with one of her relatives.

Osamu stood from the bridge and walked over to her just as her belly made a loud noise. She flushed with embarrassment. If she could hear it, it must have sounded that much louder to all the wolves with their acute hearing. "We can go a few days without eating, but it is best if you do not. Dinner has already been caught," the black wolf explained as another wolf appeared dragging fish speared to a stick. "I trust you can prepare it for your own consumption?" Sakura nodded as the silver wolf dropped off the fish at the bridge and disappeared.

She silently thanked them and started a small fire off the little island and waited for her fish to cook. Osamu lied down and leaned against her side as she watched the fish cook. "Tomorrow you will begin training. You must climb the mountain without chakra in the morning until you reach an entrance with one of our kin waiting. Answer the riddle correctly and then make your way through the tunnels to find your way back here.

"Hunt for your own food until dusk and return here again. Rest and begin again. By the end of your training, you will hopefully reach the peak."

Sakura nodded as she pulled the stake out and pulled the fish off. Out of the five, she offered two to him and ate two herself. When she offered him the last fish, he declined, citing that she needed it more for tomorrow. She thanked him and polished it off. She put out the fire and a yawn ripped from her mouth before she could stop it. Osamu nudged her back to the bridge, "You must rest, little human."

Ookami was curled at the base of the tree, her tails covering her snout. As if reading Sakura's thoughts, the tails lifted and she could see the humour in Ookami's eyes. _Come child, it's as warm as you think it will be, and soft too._

Maybe Ookami could read minds too. She walked over and lied down by Ookami's side, the tails falling back over her like a blanket. And boy was it soft and warm like she thought it would be. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

x

"Sasuke," Fugaku called from the porch where he watched his sons training in the yard. The brothers shared a nod before the youngest approached their father, "Yes, Father?"

Fugaku motioned to the shogi set on the board, "Come have a game with your old man," he looked over at Itachi, "I believe Inuzuka-san and Aburame-san are waiting for you at the gates, Itachi. Best not to keep them waiting."

Itachi bowed before disappearing in a plume of smoke. Truth be told, Fugaku took one look at the Haimaru brothers and a traumatic experience involving Kuromaru crawled up from the recesses of his mind. His face betrayed nothing, but it would be best to have Itachi and his genin team on their way as quickly as possible.

Sasuke sat down on the other side of the game set and waited for his father to make the first move. Fugaku lifted a rook piece and placed it one space forward, "I have heard your first match is against Sunagakure's Gaara of the Desert."

Sasuke nodded absentmindedly as he examined the board, "I have no intention of winning the match, but I don't plan on forfeiting before the battle even begins."

Fugaku nodded, "I am aware, your brother and cousin believe you're making a chuunin-worthy decision."

Sasuke watched his father move another piece, to which Sasuke quickly claimed, "Father, you're not very good at this." Fugaku looked up and blinked before returning his focus to the board, "Strategy was always your mother's forte."

The game continued on in a peaceful silence until Fugaku spoke again, "There is something I want to show you, after this." Sasuke nodded and they continued their game until eventually the son won. He helped his father put away the pieces in their storage container and set it on top of the table.

Fugaku stepped off the porch and began to walk towards the little pond with the bridge. On the dock he sat down and beckoned his son to do the same. Sitting side by side, Fugaku stared down at their reflections, "As you know, the Sharingan is a doujutsu unique to the Uchiha Clan. You being in the same cell as Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi was a calculated move. Have you already realized the purpose?"

Sasuke nodded.

Fugaku smiled a little sadly, "I see," he placed a hand on top of Sasuke's head, "You have grown a great deal from the little boy that used to doodle trap plans in crayon." Sasuke flushed with embarrassment. He vaguely remembered that episode, too.

Fugaku chuckled at his son's reaction before he sobered. "The Sharingan is much like a budding flower. It blooms into another stage, the Mangekyou Sharingan. But of course, with great power comes great sacrifice," he looked at their reflections, "The price for power is dire. I do not wish for you to ever go down that path, my son."

Sasuke was confused, "Father, is everything okay?"

Fugaku sat a little straighter and looked at his youngest, "The final part of the Exams is going to bring you a lot of painful moments. I... I want you to be prepared for it. The phases of the Sharingan are triggered by powerful emotion and traumatic or stressful situations, after all."

Sasuke reached out and squeezed his father's hand, "Don't worry, Father. I'll be okay. I have Naruto and Sakura with me." Fugaku nodded and hopped on to the water, standing on its surface. He turned around to look at his son with his Sharingan activated. "I hope you won't oppose to training with your old man? I might be retired from active duty, but I have a few things I can still teach my son."

Beaming, Sasuke hopped on to the water, and settled into his favourite stance. Fugaku smiled, "Besides, I think it's about time you showed me just what exactly Kizashi has been teaching you."

x

"What is the greatest weakness of any ninja arte other than taijutsu?" Jiraiya asked without looking up from his writing. Naruto laid on his back in the grass beside the seal master. It didn't take him long to reach the conclusion, "Seals?"

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner my dear boy," Jiraiya spared the boy a glance; the blonde was swirling chakra in his palm, another new trick he picked up since they began the boy's training. "The exact amount of chakra required per jutsu is manipulated through the seals. The downside is, jutsus of every nature follow an identifiable pattern, so if the opponent can see your hand seals, they're going to be able to predict what you're going to dish out."

"Which is a no-no, of course," Naruto replied without looking at the man. He was too focused on gathering chakra inside the boundaries of an invisible sphere in his palm.

"That's right. Skilled ninja can use less than the required hand seals, or even one. For instance, the second Hokage could use the Water Dragon Bullet with only one seal when everybody else needed to use fourty-four." Naruto made a noise of contemplation to show that he was listening.

"Even better skilled ninja can forgo the signs altogether, or use techniques that don't require seals at all. Much like this jutsu you're learning now," Jiraiya nodded to the spinning chakra in Naruto's hand.

He opened his palm a little wider and allowed the chakra flow to dissipate, putting an end to the chakra sphere. "So what you're saying is, practice until I can drop the number of seals in my roster of techniques, starting with the Academy set of E-ranks?"

Jiraiya grinned, "If you already know, then hop to it!"

Naruto arched his back and jumped up on to his two feet. _Might as well start with my favourite...Dog, Boar, Ram!_ He transformed into Jiraiya, a perfect copy. He dispelled it and tried again, this time dropping the Ram. He concentrated and gave that last push of chakra and transformed again, but this copy of Jiraiya had a big, fat nose.

Jiraiya cringed at the reflection, "Practice makes perfect!" Naruto dispelled it and tried a few more times without the Ram seal until the old man approved of his transformation. Then he proceeded with dropping the Boar seal and pushing his chakra through to complete the transformation.

He practiced over and over until he got right. Then he tried different appearances. It took him a bit more than a day, but finally mastered the transformation technique with just one seal. Now, he had to master it, while moving and in different scenarios. After all, he had to constantly control the fluctuations of his chakra. He generated a few shadow clones and played tag where the clones were all 'it', causing the real Naruto to run around, practicing his transformation with one seal, and eventually none.

This pattern continued on for the last two weeks of his training, as he moved from one technique to the other, until he had all the Academy techniques down to one seal or none. Jiraiya commended the blond for his efforts, "Remember, the core techniques are priceless and indispensable. Master its use and timing, and you'll be that much closer to reaching jounin, was it?"

Naruto grinned, "Thanks, ero-sennin," Jiraiya balked at the new moniker, "But I'm not stopping at jounin. I plan to be Hokage one day."

x

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto waved at one of his best friends as the Uchiha came up to the center of the arena, "Man it feels like it's been forever!" His smile must have been contagious because even the corners of the Uchiha's mouth lifted. "See you in the finals?" Naruto bought his hand forward and Sasuke clasped it in an equally tight grip, "You bet."

He felt something slide over the skin on his wrist and didn't even spare it a glance. Knowing Naruto, it was probably another seal he thought would benefit the team.

All the other participants arrived in due time, lining up in front of Hayate. Naruto looked around, no Sakura in sight. And hers is the first match to boot.

Hayate looked up from the participants, to a space further behind them, sensing an influx in chakra. Sakura poofed into existence, the smoke thinning out to reveal the final chuunin hopeful. Naruto and Sasuke gave a low whistle at her new attire. Sakura coughed and waved her hand in front of her face to dispel the rest of the smoke. When her vision cleared and she heard her boys' whistle, she grinned and looked at Hayate, "Sorry I'm late, Hayate-san."

Hayate smirked, "You made it, barely." She bowed once to him, then to the Hokage and his invited guests up top and then to the audience behind her. She caught the approving looks of some of the audiences and jogged over to stand at the end of the line beside Shino.

Hayate amplified his voice with chakra, "The final part of the Chuunin exams will now commence. The first round is between Haruno Sakura of Konoha and Kankuro of Suna. All others please proceed to the waiting area on the upper floor."

Sakura stood as everyone else made their way up the stairs to the waiting area. Naruto walked up and pulled her into a quick bear hug, and she felt the slither of a chakra seal sink into the small of her back. Grateful for the gift of sorts, she gave him a quick hug before giving him a smack on the back to hurry up to the others.

She turned to face Kankuro, Hayate standing between them. He coughed into his fist, "Now then, round one, begin!"

Sakura made herself scarce, disappearing in a whirl of leaves. Kankuro stood and waited patiently, his hand at his sides. In the span of her disappearing act, she had layered several genjutsu over the arena and found a perch in one of the thicker trees, hiding herself behind the wide trunk. Kankuro didn't budge and she saw no signs of him dispelling her illusions.

She tried to recall what she could of his match in the preliminaries and came up blank. He never used that bulky package strapped to his back, so she had no idea what it was. But given what she knew of Sunagakure in all the books she's read and the small clues he's given thus far, it was most likely a puppet.

And because her mind liked to imagine all sorts of scenarios (she wasn't quite Shikamaru), she'd bet good money that he swapped places with the puppet, pretending to be the luggage himself.

Having decided on her plan, she shushin'd to the other side of the area and ran out from the canopy, straight toward's Kankuro's back as her clone darted from his front in an attempted pincer attack. Her clone hurled a kunai with enough force to embed itself into Kankuro's shoulder, but it fell off as the puppet's shell broke, the real Kankuro coming out of the bandages like she had predicted.

He pulled the strings sending the puppet's arm with a knife end at the clone, dispelling it, and then pulling the puppet's main body around to face the real Sakura to protect himself. Sakura kept her poker face until her fist made impact with the puppet, shattering it into a million pieces.

Not one to be outdone, Kankuro reeled his chakra strings back and threw his hand forward, releasing one of the puppet's weapons, a barrage of senbon. She stomped her foot on the ground, bringing up an Earth dome just in time to protect herself. She crawled underground, moved into position and waited.

Kankuro took one step forward and she felt the first of many genjutsus catch her opponent. The earth dome crumbled, with no chakra to hold it intact, exposing another Sakura. Kankuro pulled out a scroll and released his spare puppet, sending it flying at her clone.

The puppet wrapped its arms around her, the knives digging in. The chest cavity opened up and she was forced inside. The arms came off the main body and twisted around in the air. Kankuro was going to skewer her alive with the poisoned tips. He taunted her to give in, but received no reply. "Have it your way," he moved his index finger and the crowd of civilians gasped as the spears dug into the cavity.

Sakura didn't even wait for the clone to dissolve, she shot her hands close to the surface and manipulated the earth the soften. She reached out and grabbed Kankuro's ankles, sinking him down to his neck with little effort. As far as Kankuro was concerned, he had beaten her and the crowd was cheering for him.

But that illusion shattered instantly when she sunk her nails into his ankles, drawing blood. She withdrew the earth nature chakra, solidify the ground around him again as she backed away a fair distance and pulled herself out of the earth. It was a tried and true method that really seemed to work.

Kankuro sputtered and tried to free himself to no avail. Sakura walked up behind him and kneeled down, "Perhaps, I could help," she flicked her finger on the patch of earth in front of him and his eyes widened comically as it created a mini fissure. She pulled her hand back and prepare her fingers to flick the back of his head, "What do you say?" she tried to convey the smile in her voice. His face paled.

The general weakness of long range fighters is that they tend to suffer at short range.

"I... I yield," Kankuro managed weakly. Hayate heard him loud and clear though, the jounin raised his hand announcing Sakura as the winner. The crowd cheered.

She patted her opponent before reaching through the earth to pull him out. She waited as he shook himself off, before offering her hand in a friendly gesture. He looked confused for a second before he sniffed and gave her hand a quick shake. They were allied nations after all.

She made her way upstairs first and Naruto pulled her into another hug, "There's no way you didn't learn anything new in the last month." The blond let her go only for Sasuke to give her a one-arm hug, "Obviously she's saving the best for the best." Meaning themselves.

Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled before settling on a neutral face as she looked over at Neji. She was saving the new stuff for later, because it wouldn't do for any competitor to witness it early on. She watched Hayate call down Kiba and Neji, the Inuzuka giving Sakura a high-five on the way out. She leaned forward on the railing, eager to observe the growth of the competitors.

x

 **Author's Note:** So yeah, I've been gone for a few months, sorry folks! Real life, mostly my work, and then I picked up a new game and my sister brought home another cat. This chapter has just been sitting in my files for a while, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep writing to extend the length of the chapter. But I think at 4.3k words, it's a little short but it'll suffice. Christmas and New Year's is coming soon so I wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! I might not be able to update until afterwards. I work at a bakery, Christmas is some kind of special hell for us.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** I really wanted to get the Konoha Crush arc done and over with. I never realized how long it was until I skimmed through the multiple episodes in the anime that constituted the canon that this chapter is based around. Yeah I also skimmed over Orochimaru's death and Kabuto's implied death really quickly. So the scenes jump around quite a bit. It's been a few months since I updated and for that, I apologize. I won't lie, I've kind of lost interest in this fic, and there's a very good chance it will be discontinued. Or rewritten in the far future. I don't know. Like I mentioned from the beginning, I'm more of a read than a writer. There are some plot bunnies and waiting-to-fall-asleep imaginations I want to write out. But I don't want to give anyone false hope. I just wanted to thank everyone who's read, visited, followed, and favourited this story from the beginning. I'm sorry I couldn't meet your expectations.

Chapter 18

"We should hurry and report this," a chuunin dug into his pouch and pulled out a piece of paper to write a quick missive. He tied it to the hawk on his partner's shoulder and sent it on its way.

The Konoha pair looked down into the ravine, at their shared border, as their Suna counterpart examined the body of their deceased Kazekage.

x

Sakura told Sasuke to have 'a good time' as he made his way down the stairs to the arena floor. Meanwhile she looked down as Kiba was escorted out by medics after his loss. Just like her and her boys, Kiba had been furious at the Hyuuga for what he did to his own cousin. As for as Inuzuka's were concerned, betraying and hurting pack was unforgivable.

Gaara appeared with a swirl of sand, opposite Sasuke with Hayate in the middle. Once the field cleared of all other occupants, the proctor commenced the next round.

She stood together with Naruto and watched their teammate test the boundaries of Gaara's own ultimate defence. He tested until he had gathered enough information, but by then Gaara's patience had run out, he began to go on the offensive, driving Sasuke into the defensive.

This was all in accordance with the Uchiha's plan. He displayed the necessary skills, worthy of being titled chuunin. After all, this public match was mostly just a power display for everyone watching who wasn't a shinobi.

Three minutes in, he decided he lasted a good while. He finished up with a fire jutsu, with the flames burning blue, almost white. He had stunned the crowd silent. With the sand shield up but cracked because he had turned a patch of it into glass, he lifted his hand and announced his forfeiture.

x

Shikamaru eyed his fellow classmate on the other side of the arena. Naruto stood with his hands behind his head in leisure, the proctor having yet to announce the beginning of the match.

Naruto had won his match against Shino and it took almost little to no effort on the blonde's part. Once Shino realized Naruto's chakra was doing his colony more harm than good, he had conceded defeat. Shikamaru wanted to sympathize with the Aburame, demonic chakra had to be a bitch.

Being the genius that he was, it wasn't too hard to put together that Naruto was the vessel for the Kyuubi.

The blond stood in cheer, his own chakra stores replenishing quickly by the minute, his injuries entirely healed. If the Nara was reading the situation right, the blonde could fight for days. Even if he managed to defeat the blonde, he would have to go up against Gaara next and that was a big _hell, no_.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh so deep, he felt it in his bones. He glanced between the proctor and Naruto, and raised his hand first, "I forfeit."

x

Neji watched as Sakura made her way down to the arena from the stairs after himself. He took the time to analyze her, and compare how she had changed from their team practice match, to her matches against Kabuto and then Kankuro.

To him, her strengths were earth techniques, medical jutsu, and poisons. Genjutsu, he would count as null because he had the Byakugan, it would not work against him.

He looked forward to seeing how she had improved in the last month, even though he was going to win.

Hayate announced the match to commence and the Neji moved. He wasn't going to give her a chance. And the less time and chakra he wasted, the better. His next opponent would prove to be a tricky one.

He thrust his open palms out, striking for her tenketsu, but as expected of a medic, she dodged all his strikes with precision and grace. She dodged one more hit and dropped to the ground, swinging a leg out to sweep his feet, be backed out of her range, but not before she dropped her heel entirely, releasing chakra to create a crater. Desperately trying to find footing, Neji was forced to jump back to the other side of the clearing.

"My, my, Neji-san," Sakura rose with sinuous grace and a little something else, "What smooth moves you have." The look and smile she gave him was, he couldn't describe it, but it sent shivers down his spine. But he refused to let it show. It wouldn't be till years later when he looked back on this match, that he would recognize the look as 'seductive'.

With a slight tip of her head, she looked at him through her lashes, and he could have sworn they flashed amber, before she charged at him. He had expected a punch, but he had not expected her to fight with his family's style!

She mimicked the movements perfectly, and he felt every brush of her chakra as he was quick to learn to dodge or redirect her palms from his person.

The stadium was enraptured by the display between a Hyuuga and a non-Hyuuga both using the same style. Hinata worriedly looked over at her father across the stadium. The frown lines on his face worsened by the moment. The girl looked down at her classmate and cousin duking it out. But it was impossible for Sakura to know how to fight like they did. She's just messing with Neji, right?

Sakura continued her onslaught and although she had yet to land a single hit, everything was going according to plan. Neji came to realize that something was amiss as well, and it began with the itching sensation in his abdomen and grew to quickly spread over his entire upper body. The urge to scratch and scratch became worse.

He cursed when he saw her devious smile and chose to disengage from this dance, and backed away a few paces. Not surprisingly, she did not give chase. Sakura merely stood, relaxed but ready to spring, and observed him. He risked a glance down at his arms, dotted with red angry bumps and spreading by the second. He could feel the skin under his shirt doing the same, and spreading up to his neck.

It seemed utterly beneath himself to scratch but whatever was happening to him was worse than poison ivy. Before he had realized it, his hand was already rubbing at his other arm, anything, anything to sooth the itch.

Neji raised his eyes and promised death to her in his look. Sakura let out a low whistle. Two shapes rose from the earth, made of mud but shaped like beast, clamped their jaws around his shins and dragged him to the knees into the ground.

She shushin'd over and quickly flicked his forehead plate with a little chakra, sending him falling on his behind. The nasty rashes and covered his entire upper body from the neck down and it was threatening to break around his chin from what she could tell.

"That," she sniffed, "was for Hinata."

Neji glared for all it was worth, his hands clenched at his sides to resist scratching himself. It was humiliating.

Sakura cocked an eyebrow at him, "Fate and destiny might be a true concept," she thought back to Ookami-sama, "But look at Lee-san and Naruto. Don't hide behind divine forces as an excuse to not try and change your own situation. A very old being once told me that arrogance is just a kingdom without a crown."

Neji felt his anger and frustration melt away a little at that. He was still upset about his defeat, but he was coming to terms with accepting a lot of things he willfully ignored up until now.

"Forfeit," Sakura grinned, "And I'll give you the antidote and make sure you're blemish free." Neji reluctantly nodded and looked at Hayate, "I forfeit." Hayate announced Sakura as the winner and a medical team came by with a stretcher to carry Neji down to the infirmary. Sakura went with them to deliver on her promise.

x

Nobody was sure what the cue was, but one second a hawk was stretching overhead, and the next thing anybody knew, hell had broke loose.

The earth trembled throughout the village, civilians and weaker nin dropping like flies to the pull of an illusion. Naruto cancelled the technique with little thought and stared hard at the redhead before him.

Gaara spared the blond a glance, "It begins," his siblings appeared beside him and in a flash they were gone.

x

Sand ninja stormed the village from all directions, each accompanied by snake summons not of their own. "Break through the wall!" a Suna-nin shouted as his squad breached the top near the mountain, they were instructed to secure this side of the village.

The snake slithered forward with its equally giant siblings. A pop accompanied by a giant plume of smoke off to the side caught their attention. The wind blew the smoke away to reveal twin giant wolf summons, a priest atop the head of one. "Monks! We must protect our home!" Kizashi shouted and his temple of monk warriors charged forward, engaging with the Suna nin while he and the wolves handled the snakes.

x

Ibiki heard the shout of a summoning being made in the midst of his own battle and when the dust cleared, he looked at the toad summoning and then further up to find a white-haired man on its head. "Yo, Ibiki! Long time no see!"

"Jiraiya-sama!" Ibiki's exclamation stunned his subordinates. Quickly he shushin'd up beside Jiraiya to update him on the situation. "We have the situation under control, having received pre-emptive warning of Orochimaru's interest in the Chuunin Exams since last month. They are collaborating with Sunagakure, but the Fourth Kazekage has been reportedly found dead, assassinated most likely. We believe that Orochimaru entered the village disguised as him."

Jiraiya nodded sagely, "Then Sunagakure is but a willing pawn in his game."

x

Itachi and Shisui stood on the roof outside the barrier, watching their Hokage intently as he fought against Orochimaru. It was unanimously decided, and ordered by the Hokage, and that Orochimaru was the top priority, even if it meant Hiruzen's life.

Being the snake that he was, once Orochimaru made a move to flee, the ANBU unit's instructions were clear: hunt and eliminate the snake.

x

As the stadium above shook with the first wave of attacks, Sakura looked up and over the Hyuuga family. "Hyuuga-sama," she bowed curtly to the elder, "Please watch over your nephew and daughters, I believe we are under attack by Sound and Sand."

Hiashi nodded in understanding, all Clan Heads had been briefed on this matter, "Go, Haruno, I can take care of matters here." She nodded briskly and gave Hinata's hand a firm squeeze before running through the halls back up to the stands where she found Kakashi and Gai knocking around some Oto-nin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she approached her instructor and met him back-to-back. The jounin gave the girl an assessing glance, deeming her fit, he gave her the orders, "Sasuke and Naruto have already gone ahead after the sand siblings. Take TenTen and Shikamaru over there with you and catch up to them."

She nodded in understanding and quickly relayed the instructions to her new teammates. Within seconds they were jumping through a hole in the wall and leaping through the forest. She reached into her back pocket and palmed a pair of smoke bombs. She channeled chakra and threw them ahead of her, only to have them disperse and reveal a pair of young wolf pups.

"Sakura-sama!" the one on the left chimed. "Finally, I thought we'd never see any action!" the one of the right continued.

She spared the brothers an eye roll, "I trust you can lead us to the boys, you two."

The wolf on the right grinned, "Of course we can, Tomato-breath and Ramen-breath are really hard to miss amongst the woods you know."

The wolf on the left side-eyed his brother, "We've already memorized Naruto-sama and Sasuke-sama's scents, we'll have you know!"

Sakura gave them a considering look, "Just call them Naruto and Sasuke, neither the nicknames or the honorifics are going to do them any good. Also," she glanced back at her friends, "these two troublemakers are my summons, Tsubaki," the one on the left yipped, "and Hibiki" and the on the right let loose a short howl.

Tsubaki sniffed the air, "Sakura-sama, there's a party of ten coming up from the rear, they don't smell friendly!"

"Just Sakura is fine, also," she turned her head to look at Tenten, "Think you two can handle it? I'm going to move on ahead." TenTen and Shikamaru nodded as they dropped to the ground to set up traps. Sakura continued on without stopping until she sensed her boys' signals getting closer.

Upon her arrival, Naruto dispelled the clone he had been using as Sakura took its place next to Sasuke against the older the sand siblings. With merely a glance to communicate, Sakura and her wolves separated Temari from Kankuro and engaged her in battle. Sasuke continued his assault on Kankuro, and Naruto focused his attention on Gaara.

"You will not deny me my existence!" Gaara shouted, half-crazed, his voice not entirely his. Naruto looked at the sand that covered the other boy's arm, forming a more animalistic appendage with purple veins running through it. Naruto knew he had to end it fast before it escalated. Gaara was a jinchuuriki just like him, and based on the scrolls left behind by his ancestor's, Suna wasn't exactly known for fuinjutsu.

"I'm not denying you anything," Naruto calmly stated, "I just think you're going about it the wrong way." Without much notice, he conjured his chakra chains, wrapping them around Gaara securely, pinning him down. In the month that he had been away, Naruto had worked on being able to walk around with his chains activated, and he was really glad he took the time to work on it.

He ambled over to Gaara, careful to keep the chains tight as the boy struggled, the chakra-laced sand no longer crawling further up the boy's body. "You're not the only one who's struggled. What better time than as an impressionable child to be told you're a monster, to go away, to die, to hate me for something they don't fully understand, nor that I knew anything about. I didn't ask to be a container for the tailed beast.

"And neither did you. The pain of being all alone is unbearable, isn't it?" Gaara flinched, "It hurts. I know it hurts. But then I met people, my very important people, who matter more than those faceless crowds full of hate.

"I won't allow you to hurt them, and if you still insist on doing so," Naruto withdrew a kunai and held it at his side, "I will kill you."

Blood dripped from Gaara's sand-covered arm, he couldn't understand the blond, "How can you fight so hard for other people?!"

Naruto spared his team a glance as they brought the Sand siblings to surrender. He returned his attention to the redhead, "Because they saved me from hell and accepted me for who I was, that's why."

Gaara stared up at the sky for a long time, he felt the last of his chakra slipping away, the sand losing its hold over his arm. "I've had enough," he was tired, so tired.

Sasuke and Sakura stepped back, making way for Temari and Kankuro to reach their little brother. Naruto loosened his chains and slowly retracted them until they were gone. His teammates flash-stepped to his side. They watched as Kankuro pulled Gaara up and over his shoulder and the siblings retreated without a backward glance.

"So," Naruto hummed with his hands behind his head, "When were you going to introduce us to your new pets?"

Sakura blinked and looked at the wolf brothers ambling out from the bushes. She rolled her eyes, "They're not pets. They're my summoning partner. If crap didn't hit the fan, you would have found out about them during the tournament. Meet Hibiki and Tsubaki."

Tsubaki dipped his head in greeting, "Nice to make your acquaintance." Hibiki's tongue lolled out of his mouth, "Don't worry, we don't bite. Much."

Sakura looked skyward as the boys tugged their sleeves a little lower. "Come on, whatever's happening in the village seems to have ended. Let's go find Kakashi-sensei."

x

"Release!" four voices shouted at the same time. The barrier caging in Orochimaru and the Third Hokage fell. The oto-nin rushed to gather their leader and then leaped into the air. Itachi's captain signalled his unit to go after them, two took to the air and were shot down by a web, but Shisui, Itachi and their third member, a Hyuuga, followed them by rooftop.

Orochimaru would be dealt with.

x

Team seven found Kakashi standing on the roof of the stadium, a mini-forest sprung from the tiles, a group of jonin gathered around a still body.

Sakura grabbed her boys' wrists and held them a distance from the adults. "Hokage-sama has passed," she said quietly. Sasuke and Naruto looked ahead to confirm it for themselves. Quietly they waited for Kakashi to notice them. When the scarecrow did, he broke off from his quiet discussion with his peers and, perhaps purposely, blocked their view of the Sandaime. "I know it's been a tough day, you three, so just a verbal report for now."

Sakura found her voice first, "Shikamaru and TenTen dealt with the Oto-nin that followed us after we set out to find Naruto and Sasuke. I don't know their status, but my summons assure they are alive, but perhaps injured." Kakashi nodded, "Asuma retrieved them earlier."

Sakura let out a quick breath of relief, "We engaged the Suna genin team and Gaara's chakra depleted significantly. He called a stop of the fight, and we allowed them to retreat." Kakashi placed a hand on each of their heads in turn, "You three did well. Go home and rest while you can."

x

Thousands turned up for the memorial service of the Hokage and other victims of battle. It was a somber affair. Sakura decided that she didn't like services like that, and would never ever want to see anyone she knew among the portraits of the deceased.

The following days were spent to rebuilding the village, and everyone had a had in it. As time passed, news would come that the Suna jounin Baki and his subordinates had discovered the body of their deceased Kazekage, and his assigned guards. With the treachery of Orochimaru, they sought to send emissary of peace. Konoha's Elder Council would seek tougher action on their once-allies if they wanted to rebuild their partnership. After all, the Great Tree didn't need to be allied with Sand.

The week after, Itachi's ANBU unit would return, reporting successfully the elimination of Orochimaru and his self-made caves of Otogakure. His labs, experiments, and modified nin were all burned by high-level fire techniques as well as the Uchiha's Amaterasu technique. Without Kabuto at the snake's side, the recovery of his arms was impossible, and it made him weak. Death was dealt swiftly. As far as anyone in the higher ups knew, the only thing that remained of the snake was the curse seal still on Anko's neck.

A few days after that, the gossip mill would explode with rumours: the Elder Council were going to elect Jiraiya-sama as the next Hokage as soon as possible, to prevent other Great Nations from so much as thinking they could target the Great Tree. They were temporarily weakened, but they were not pushovers and never would be.

And precisely four hours after the rumour finished making it's way around the village, team seven found themselves at Ichiraku, which miraculously survived, Jiraiya behind them, peeking into the stall with a wide grin on his face, "Just to brats I wanted to see."


End file.
